Srinagar, Dec 27: The teaching staff in schools is being pushed to the “complex” situations amid the clash between the Zonal Education Officers (ZEOs) and the Cluster heads over the authoritative control on the teachers in schools.
Over the past few years, the School Education Department (SED) has adopted a Cluster (complex) school system wherein the Principals of the Higher Secondary Schools have been designated as Cluster Heads of the schools falling within their cluster. But such an arrangement has led to the clashes between the Zonal Education Officers (ZEOs) and the Cluster heads over the control on the teachers in the schools, pushing the teachers to the complex situations. As per the norms, the Cluster Heads were supposed to provide academic assistance to the primary and middle schools of their respective cluster by providing academic assistance of the teachers in High and higher secondary schools.
“But instead of providing academic assistance to the primary and middle schools, the Cluster heads made these foundational stage schools defunct by shifting the Subject specific (PG) teachers to high and higher secondary schools,” an official told Greater Kashmir. He said ideally a primary schools must have five teachers for five classes but there are instances were primary schools are run by two teachers as other are deployed in higher secondary schools.
“In this situation, a teacher at primary school takes around 15 classes in a day while the one deployed at higher secondary schools takes only two classes,” the official said. “Besides taking around a dozen classes, the primary school teacher has to manage MDM and maintain other school related records as well,” he said. The situation has led to the clashes between the ZEO and Cluster heads as the Primary and middle schools are under the administrative control of the ZEOs. “We are caught between two power centers. Cluster heads usually depute teachers in their own institutions and ease their workload while ZEOs are left unaware. In this scenario largely elementary schools suffer,” a middle school teacher from Baramulla told Greater Kashmir.
“ZEOs are not either taken on board or they do not have a good working relationship with Cluster Heads. There is a need for a proper mechanism which will focus on power sharing and utilisation of resources for the betterment of academics,” he said. The teachers said that amid the prevailing circumstances, ensuring quality education to students at the foundational stage takes a back seat.
“Academics does not remain a priority in a scenario where Cluster Heads and ZEOs remain at loggerheads. We are suffering due to their tussle. We are victims of confusion. Academics cannot improve until these officers are not clear about their role,” another teacher said. “We are sometimes deployed in the middle of the session and our ZEOs are not taken on board,” he said.
The issue was also discussed earlier during a workshop on post PARAKH Rashtriya Sarvekshan in Baramulla which was attended by Director School Education Kashmir (DSEK).
Speaking at the occasion, Joint Director School Education Department (North), Hakeem Tanveer Ahmad said the Cluster Heads and ZEOs are often seen at loggerheads because of the confusion regarding their authority on teachers. “Teacher only belongs to the students and the department. He does not belong to ZEO or Cluster Heads. Your role is beyond this. I have not seen any cluster head working the way you are supposed to do,” Joint Director North said.
“If you remain at loggerheads over control on teachers, all our initiatives aimed at ensuring quality education will die a silent death. The impact of your role and responsibility should be visible on the ground,” he said. He asked both ZEOs and Cluster heads to come out of their offices and their work must have an impact on ground.