Teachers Absenteeism Issue Is State Governments Domain
New Delhi:
The Minister of State (HRD), Shri Upendra Kushwaha today in a written reply to a Lok Sabha question said that the recruitment and service conditions, including monitoring of teachers' attendance primarily lie in the domain of State Governments and UT Administrations. He said that in 2004 World Bank took up a research project on teacher absenteeism in 6 countries including India. In India the survey was conducted in 3700 schools in 20 states. The report found that twenty five percent teachers in Government primary schools remained absent from work on any given day. Of the teacher's present only 50% were engaged in teaching activities. As per Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) 2016, the teacher's attendance at primary level was 85.4% and at upper primary level was 84.7%.
The Central government also conducted two studies on teacher's attendance in schools in 2006 and 2013 respectively. As per these two studies the overall attendance of teachers improved from 81.7% to 84.3% at primary level and from 80.5% to 81.3% at upper primary level.
According to the study conducted by government in 2013, the main reasons behind teacher's absenteeism from schools were illness of a family member, health reason of teacher, long distance between teacher's residence and school, lack of transport suited to school timing, engagement in other economic activities such as agriculture, business, private tuition etc., posting in a school not of teacher's liking, participation in other political and social activities etc.
Kushwaha said that under Section 24 of the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009, a teacher appointed under sub-section (1) of the Section 23 will have to perform the following duties:
The Central Government has taken certain measures to improve teacher's attendance in government schools. These measures include monitoring teachers' attendance through School Management Committees/School Management Development Committees/Block Resource Centres/Clusters Resource Centres and encouraging States and UTs to use digital technology like installation of Bio-metric attendance system in schools.
Click here for more Education News
The Central government also conducted two studies on teacher's attendance in schools in 2006 and 2013 respectively. As per these two studies the overall attendance of teachers improved from 81.7% to 84.3% at primary level and from 80.5% to 81.3% at upper primary level.
According to the study conducted by government in 2013, the main reasons behind teacher's absenteeism from schools were illness of a family member, health reason of teacher, long distance between teacher's residence and school, lack of transport suited to school timing, engagement in other economic activities such as agriculture, business, private tuition etc., posting in a school not of teacher's liking, participation in other political and social activities etc.
Kushwaha said that under Section 24 of the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009, a teacher appointed under sub-section (1) of the Section 23 will have to perform the following duties:
- maintain regularity and punctuality in attending school
- complete entire curriculum within specified time
The Central Government has taken certain measures to improve teacher's attendance in government schools. These measures include monitoring teachers' attendance through School Management Committees/School Management Development Committees/Block Resource Centres/Clusters Resource Centres and encouraging States and UTs to use digital technology like installation of Bio-metric attendance system in schools.
Click here for more Education News
