Law planned for mandatory rural service of teachers

 The State government is planning to bring in a piece of legislation making rural service mandatory for teachers, Primary and Secondary Education Minister Kimmane Ratnakar has said.

Speaking at an interaction with teachers here on Sunday, the minister said that a teacher should serve in rural areas at least for five years during his or her service period. “This will help improve the quality of education in rural areas,” he said.

The minister said that some teachers had been serving in towns and cities for the past 20 years. The teachers working in rural parts are therefore denied of an opportunity service in urban areas and there had been several complaints on this issue. A solution would be found for this problem, but without disturbing the teachers on the verge of retirement. He said that the State government had brought in law for compulsory transfer of deputy directors of public instruction and block education officers after every three years.

Ratnakar said that he would convene a two-day meeting of primary and high school teachers in September to hear their problems.