Govt will recruit PE teachers on priority basis, says Karnataka minister Madhu Bangarappa

Minister for School Education and Literacy Madhu Bangarappa promised to  fill up the vacant posts of Physical Education teachers in government-run schools and pre-university colleges on a priority basis.

He was replying to a question by BJP MLC S V Sankanur on Monday. The minister said that the department would fill the posts of physical education teachers soon after the completion of the recruitment of regular teachers.

As per the details provided by the department in a written reply, the physical education teachers were recruited for primary schools 15 years ago and for high schools 9 years ago. Incidentally, there are only 2 physical education teachers in 1,231 government-run PU colleges.

“Though the Finance Department had approved to fill 20 sanctioned posts in PU colleges 8 to 9 years ago, the department has not taken measures to fill the posts,” said Sankanur.

Replying to him, the minister said: “There is a need for physical education teachers and I too agree that we cannot perform in sports due to the lack of training at school and college level. We will soon fill the physical education teachers’ posts which are vacant at school and college levels.”

Meanwhile, the minister told the House that the department had rejected the proposal by the Finance Department to recruit one physical education teacher for 500 students.

“We have mentioned that the ratio should be 120:1 and we have not accepted the 500:1 proposed by the Finance Department,” Madhu stated.

Aided schools

Madhu assured the Legislative Council on Monday that the government would soon fill vacancies of teachers in aided education institutions.

“I have already spoken to the chief minister about this. We are giving importance to aided schools on par with government schools. We are making efforts to fill vacancies until 2023,” the minister said.

He was responding to the issue raised by MLCs Madhu Madegowda, Marithibbe Gowda, S L Bhoje Gowda and Shashil Namoshi under Rule 330.

The MLCs urged the government to fill vacancies in aided schools and pre-university colleges while pointing out how several such institutions were functioning with single teachers, affecting the quality of education here. In several others, temporary teachers are working with the hope that their jobs will be made permanent.

Legislative Council chairperson Basavaraj Horatti also said the government need not wait for the finance department’s approval to fill these vacancies and urged the government to fill the posts at the earliest.