Though the admission process in most CBSE schools had commenced as early as November last, for those following the SSC syllabus it began a month ago. The academic year will commence on June 1 after the summer vacation from May 13 to May 31.
Teachers allege that with the state government declaring half-day schools since March 12, the ‘canvassing’ for admission has gained momentum. Managements select one locality each day and ask teachers to get information from household in the area —details like the number of children and where they are studying —and then lure parents into admitting their wards to their schools. They even offer reduced fee and fee waiver if siblings take admission.A franchisee, which claims to have 64 schools across the state, issued a ‘Consent Letter’ to its teachers earlier this week which states that April 15-May 31 salaries will not be paid unless they get 20 new admissions. Another school has threatened to deduct `1,000 from the salaries of the teachers if they do not meet the targets.
“My school functions from 7:30 am to 1 pm, after which we have to run for canvassing. This is happening in all schools. In some schools where classes begin at 10 am, canvassing is done before school hours. Either way, the struggle is the same for every teacher, but even more so for women,” said Sai Gayatri, a primary school teacher.
Another teacher rued that going for canvassing in the afternoon is taking a toll on their health. “It’s tedious to visit each doorstep for admissions in this hot sun. Some schools cut `1,000 from the salary if we don’t get admissions. And others cut some amount from the salary beforehand and credit it only if that month’s admission target is achieved,” said Arvind Kumar, a mathematics teacher.
As incentives, teachers in one school, for instance, are paid `300 for pre-primary and primary admissions and `500 for High school admissions. The rider, however, is that the incentives apply only after five admissions are made.
In addition, if a student takes admission but drops out of school before joining, the teacher who got him admitted will have to pay back the money. Flaying the government for giving a freehand to corporate schools, Sheik Shabbir Ali, president of Telangana Private Teachers Forum, said that it was not concerned about the physical and psychological well-being of the two lakh private teachers and the government failed to improve their working conditions. “Education has become a business,” he said.
