SIR extension concern for school heads amid exam season, ETEducation
Kolkata: The seven-day extension for the SIR has led to renewed unease among school heads, as the return of schoolteachers assigned BLO duties is being delayed for another seven days, affecting the exam season. The third summative exams for secondary level and junior classes in multiple state-run schools started on Monday.
Of the 80,681 booth level officers assigned for conducting ground-level duties, the majority are schoolteachers.
Several school heads hoped that after Dec 4, they would get their teachers back. However, as per the latest announcement by the EC, schools now understand that they have no choice but to conduct exams under this extreme staff shortage.
The schools face difficulties in assigning invigilators. In a big exam hall, two invigilators are required and schools have now reduced it to one due to this shortage. Paper evaluation will also be a major challenge. Tabulation and result preparation will also be hampered if assigned teachers don’t return on time, the school heads said.
Schools have to publish results before Christmas. The new academic session will start on Jan 2.
Taltala High School’s teacher-in-charge, Susmita Modal, who is a BLO, said, “We are only four permanent teachers in the school, and all of us have been assigned BLO duties, so you can understand the situation we are going through. However, the third summative exams started today. So, after doing exam duty, we four attend the BLO duties as well. This has become a regular routine for me and three of my colleagues.”
At Lee Memorial High School, out of 10 assistant teachers, 9 have been assigned BLO duties. Swapura Mondal Gomes, the headmistress, said, “If 9 teachers out of 10 are assigned BLO duties, then how can we carry on with the annual exams where regular class invigilation and paper checking are involved? I have made a written appeal to the school education department and recently to the ERO to release some of the teachers on a seniority basis so that we can conduct exams smoothly.”
Four teachers from Narayan Das Bangur Memorial Multipurpose High School, out of a total teaching strength of 26, are on BLO duty, which prompted the school to assign only one teacher as an invigilator instead of two. Sanjay Barua, the headmaster, said, “Other teachers have to divide their duties.
Otherwise, during the exam season, the absence of four teachers is a huge trouble for us. I thought they would return after Dec 4, but at this stage, the entire exam will have to be managed in absence of these four teachers.”
Jadavpur Vidyapith’s eight teachers have been assigned BLO duty. Headmaster Partha Pratim Baidya stated that the workload has been distributed among other teachers for conducting exams. “This is a tough situation, but we have no option. However, it’s a real concern when it comes to evaluations, as maths answer sheets can’t be checked by a Bengali teacher.”>
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