SATURDAY, APRIL 20, 2024
Team Herald
PANJIM: The growing scare of COVID-19 across educational institutions has forced the State government to withdraw its circular making it mandatory for teaching and non-teaching staff to work from school. In a fresh circular, Directorate of Education (DoE) has allowed faculty members to work from home.
DoE in a circular issued to heads of schools, on July 24, said that schools, education and coaching institutions will remain closed till July 31 and online or distance learning shall be encouraged.
“For this purpose, the teaching and non-teaching staff as far as possible will work from home and they should not be called to school or institutions unnecessarily,” Education Director Santosh Amonkar said in the circular.
In view of work from home for teachers, the department has directed institution heads to seek information regarding online classes conducted by teachers from June 4 till date and the syllabus
completed.
The heads have been asked to maintain the phone numbers of all the teachers so that they can be contacted and called as and when need arises. “The heads concerned through their teachers shall collect the data of availability of device or android mobile phone and network coverage to the students,” the circular mentioned.
Teachers are directed to submit weekly plans via email or any other online means.
The directions come against the backdrop of increasing pressure from the teachers’ associations demanding implementation of guidelines issued by the Union Ministry of Human Resources Development (MHRD) to all States on July 6, directing that teaching and non-teaching staff be allowed to work from home, until further orders.
Last month the State government had made it mandatory for teaching and other staff to resume duty from school. Herald had in its Saturday edition reported that around five teachers and a few administrative staff of schools have tested positive for COVID-19.
