Primary school teachers can pursue higher studies in district of choice

Teachers of primary schools pursuing their graduate studies under the sponsorship of the Department of Public Instruction now have the option of studying in a college in a neighbouring district.

The department’s move is aimed at improving the competence of primary teachers, who have studied up to the PU level, by allowing them to pursue higher education (degree in Science and Arts) without loss of pay.

“If a teacher is not satisfied with a particular college in his/her district, then he or she can go to another suitable district,” said department official.

“There are a number of areas that are very backward and where there are no proper facilities to pursue graduation. Teachers from such areas will now have the option of pursuing their studies in better locations with good facilities,” he said.

Currently, there are 1.86 lakh primary school teachers in Karnataka, but the number of graduates is only around 20,000, according to official sources. “The department’s decision to allow teachers to pursue their higher education in a neighbouring district will definitely encourage more teachers to study further,” said Basavaraj Gurikar, president, Karnataka State Primary Teachers’ Association.

Appeal

The Karnataka State Primary Teachers’ Association has urged the department and the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education to bring about more changes in the rules of the scheme.

One of the conditions is that teachers, after the completion of their studies, may not get back their earlier positions in the same district. “Even if they do not give us back our earlier position, we would like the education department to give us a better position in a central locality,” said Gurikar.

The association also wants BEd to be part of the scheme. At present, a primary school teacher can only pursue Bachelor’s degree in Science and Arts. “Teachers who have completed their courses should also be considered for a promotion to high school,” said Gurikar.