Punjab: The education department’s efforts to increase enrolment of students in government schools are being hampered as teachers are busy with the ongoing ‘Shiksha Kranti’ campaign and preparations for high-profile inauguration programmes across the district. With newly constructed classrooms, laboratories and other school facilities being inaugurated by cabinet ministers and MLAs, teachers are finding it difficult to strike a balance between their regular duties and programme management tasks. Though schools are burdened with additional responsibility, district education officers have directed them to ensure at least a 10 per cent increase in enrolment compared to the previous year. The directive has left many teachers in a fix, especially in rural areas where staff shortage and poor infrastructure remain persistent issues. “We have five teachers for around 110 students. Instead of focusing on education or reaching out to people for new admissions, half of our time goes into planning programmes and arranging for ministers’ visits,” said a teacher from a government school in a rural area, requesting anonymity. Another teacher said, “The pressure to enrol every year is unrealistic. We are expected to chase numbers while ministers and MLAs are busy cutting ribbons.” In relatively better-staffed schools, especially where the number of teachers is more than 10, principals are able to dedicate a few teachers solely to enrolment efforts. “Where the number of staff is adequate, we can appoint a team for the enrolment drive without disrupting the teaching work,” said a teacher from an urban school. “But doing both tasks is almost impossible in small schools in rural areas where there are barely two teachers,” she said. Education experts question the need to put pressure on teachers if the government reforms are as effective as they have been advertised. “If schools have improved in terms of infrastructure, parents will naturally choose the institutions without the need for aggressive enrolment drives,” they said. In recent years, Punjab has undertaken several major initiatives such as the ‘School of Happiness’ programme, School of Eminence and even sponsored international training trips for teachers and principals to countries such as Singapore and Finland. New smart classrooms, labs and sports facilities have been touted as symbols of progress.
Experts say these measures are commendable, but argue that real success will be reflected automatically through an increase in enrolment figures, and not by forcibly setting targets. “If parents see a change in schools, word of mouth will work better than any campaign,” said social activist Kamal Sharma. District education officer (secondary) Gurinderjit Kaur said the enrolment drive was going strong, with school heads forming dedicated teams to ensure a smooth admission process. Addressing concerns about teachers being busy with preparations for Sikh Revolution programmes, she said there was no extra pressure on the staff. Claiming that schools were already receiving a good response in terms of enrolment, she said there had been a clear improvement in infrastructure and academics. The DEO said school heads had divided the staff efficiently, with separate teams handling enrolment and Sikh Revolution activities. She said 97 per cent enrolments of last year had been achieved. The DEO said that after the Class 10 results are declared, the enrolment will not only surpass last year’s figures but also significantly higher admissions will be recorded this session.
