PANJIM: In Goa, the student-teacher ratio across all the levels of school education has remained much below the national average. While there are 375 surplus teachers at elementary level, the government secondary schools lack 216 teachers.
What is more shocking is that as per NITI Aayog report for the year 2021-22 at the secondary school level, the pupil-teacher ratio (PTR) for subject teachers is adverse, with one mathematics teacher for 58 students and lone teacher for 42 science students.
The ratio is worst in the case of social sciences, with only one teacher for 91 students.
The report was presented to Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Tuesday. As per the report, PTR at primary level remained par with national average of one teacher per 26 students. At upper primary, Goa has one teacher for every 16 students as against national average of 19. At secondary level, the ratio is 1:9 (1:18 national average) and 1:19 (1:27) at higher secondary level.
With 375 teachers at elementary level, the report states that the number of schools with adverse PTR is also quite high at 31.59 per cent at the primary level.
Also, at secondary level, only 43.8 per cent schools are having three subject teachers as per Right To Education (RTE) norms.
“The State needs to go for rationalisation of teachers, to ensure the availability of the required number of teachers in all schools. The State needs to ensure required number of Mathematics, Science and Social Studies teachers in all schools at the secondary level,” the report recommended.
NITI Aayog noted that there has been 4.33 per cent rise in the vacant teachers’ posts at secondary level in government schools, which according to them needs to be filled on priority.
It also said that the State has not mainstreamed child in regular school in 2021-22. Instead of bringing Out of School Children (OoSC) into the schools, NGOs are bringing them in centres run and managed by them. It also observed that the State has not identified drop-outs of secondary and senior secondary levels.