Pimpri-Chinchwad: PCMC Schools Face Shortage Of 396 Teachers
· Free Press Journal
Pimpri-Chinchwad: The Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) is celebrating Classical Marathi Language Week, but its own schools are facing a major shortage of teachers. As many as 396 posts are vacant across municipal schools, including 201 posts in Marathi-medium schools. The shortage has raised concerns over the quality of education being provided to thousands of students.
Visit syntagm.co.za for more information.
It has also created an uncomfortable contrast as the civic body conducts programmes to promote Marathi in schools. Classical Marathi Language Week is being observed from October 3 to 9. Various activities, including essay writing, elocution, storytelling and reading, are being organised in municipal schools. However, the basic need for an adequate number of teachers remains a concern.
Pune: October Heat Intensifies As Temperatures Cross 35°C, Rise Above Normal396 teacher posts vacant
PCMC has 105 primary schools, of which 87 are Marathi-medium schools. There are also 14 Urdu-medium, two Hindi-medium and two English-medium schools. A total of 57,591 students from kindergarten to Class 10 are studying in PCMC’s primary and secondary schools.
Against a sanctioned strength of 1,522 teacher posts, 396 posts are currently vacant. The recruitment process includes 201 Marathi-medium posts, along with 52 Urdu-medium and seven Hindi-medium posts.
This means that a significant share of the vacant positions is in Marathi-medium schools, which form the largest group of schools under the civic body. The shortage comes at a time when PCMC is highlighting the importance of Marathi through school-level programmes.
Pune: 22-Year-Old College Student Goes Missing With Boy, Emails Family About MarriageRecruitment process underway
PCMC Deputy Commissioner of the Education Department Mamata Shinde said information about the vacant posts has been submitted to the state government. She said the vacant positions would be filled through the ongoing teacher recruitment process.
Until regular appointments are made, PCMC has appointed contractual teachers to address the shortage. The corporation has also been processing candidates selected through the Pavitra Portal for education-sevak posts, indicating that the recruitment process is underway.
Pune To Host Global Dialogue On Future Of English Language Education124 children found out of school
The teacher shortage is not the only concern highlighted by PCMC’s recent education data. A survey conducted between July 15 and 30 at around 110 municipal schools found 124 children who were out of school. Of these, 117 children have since been enrolled in school, while seven continue to be recorded as out of school due to long-term irregular attendance.
The survey covered 4,01,306 children between the ages of three and 18 in Pimpri-Chinchwad. This included 2,09,739 boys and 1,91,567 girls. Among the 124 out-of-school children, 61 were boys and 63 were girls. No children with special needs or child labourers were recorded among those identified.
PCMC also recorded children who had moved out of Pimpri-Chinchwad because of employment, business and other reasons.
Pune MPSC Protest: Court Sends Siddhant Panchange To 14-Day Judicial Custody In Journalist Nikhil Sukre Assault CaseA total of 125 children had migrated from the city. Of them, 49 moved within Pune district, 70 moved to other districts and six moved to other states. As many as 117 of these children were issued Right to Education letters.
At the same time, 227 children migrated to Pimpri-Chinchwad from other areas. This included 39 children from within the city, 134 from other districts and 54 from other states. All 227 children were recorded as enrolled in schools.
While the civic body has managed to bring most identified out-of-school children back into education, the shortage of teachers remains a larger concern for the quality of education once children enter the classroom.