Government and grant-in-aid schools in Gujarat have an estimated 30,000 vacancies — around 18,000 in primary and 12,000 in secondary schools. Of this, visiting teachers occupy nearly 22,000 posts.
Instead of recruiting regular teachers in government and grant-in-aid schools in Gujarat, the state government continues to fill the vacancies with visiting teachers or Pravasi Shikshaks. The scheme will be extended for another year with a fresh provision for the same in the upcoming state budget 2023-24.
The Pravasi Shikshak scheme in Primary, Secondary and Higher Secondary schools was introduced to ensure that vacant teaching posts and long leaves taken by teachers do not affect students.
Notified by the state education department during the academic year 2015-16 for a limited period of two years, the Pravasi Shikshak scheme for government and grant-in-aid primary and secondary schools in Gujarat has been extended every year through fresh government resolutions (GRs).
“The government’s move of hiring Pravasi Shikshak to fill vacant posts of regular teachers is not right. Teachers are objecting to this and we are planning to oppose this trend,” stated Bhikhabhai Patel, president of Gujarat Rashtriya Shaikshik Mahasangh.
The appointments were earlier done for 320 vacancies in government Primary schools ahead of the state Assembly elections in 2022 and for 6,000 posts in Secondary schools in January 2021.
According to Kuber Dindor, state Primary, Secondary and Adult Education Minister: “We have asked the department to update on the requirement, based on which the government will process recruitments after the Budget session.”
Under the scheme, the honorarium announced by the state government for primary teachers is Rs 50 per period with a maximum of six periods in a day while for secondary and higher secondary schools, it has been fixed at Rs 75 and Rs 90, respectively. The limit on number of periods per day is similar across sections.
As per the 2015 GR, primary, secondary and higher secondary government and grant-in-aid schools can take services of a visiting teacher against the vacant seats till regular appointments are made or if the regular teacher goes on leave for more than a month. Services of an eligible person from the local community or even retired teachers can be availed of.
On January 2, 2018, the state government through a fresh GR, extended the scheme for one month, stating, “Taking into consideration the vacant posts of teachers… till the posts are not filled and students’ education not affected… the state government has decided to extend this period.”
It was again extended till March 2019 and on May 29, 2019, it was again extended till March 31, 2020. Since then, the state government has been extending the GR every year.
Also Read: Ahmedabad Boy Studying At IIT-Bombay Dies By Suicide
