Jobs of Lakhs of Professors of Engineering Colleges Under Threat
The All India Council for Technical Education(AICTE) has decided to revise the teacher-student ratio from 1:15 to 1:20. If this decision is implemented, around 1 lakh 50 thousand professors might lose their jobs. The job cuts have already begun in Maharashtra, Tamilnadu, Chattisgarh, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. The All India Private College Employees Union has informed about the termination of 765 teachers.
What is the student teacher ratio? And how because of it many teachers might lose their jobs? Let’s understand this. For example, if 15000 students are studying in a college then according to 1:15 ratio 1000 teachers will be required for teaching in that college. Now if the ratio is changed to 1:20 then for 15000 students only 750 teachers are required. This means that the college authorities can terminate 25% of the existing teachers. According to the AICTE website, the number of teachers employed in AICTE authorized colleges in the year 2017-18 is 7,00,000. According to the new ratio, this number will come down to 5,25,000. This means that 1,75,000 teachers would be terminated from their jobs.
Many teachers will lose their jobs but those with jobs will also face immense work pressure. In many colleges, in addition to teaching, many teachers have to perform clerical duties and social work too. After the job cuts, the workload on the teachers will increase.
Not only teachers but students will also be affected drastically due to this decision. When the student teacher ratio was 1:15, if six subjects were being taught in a class then six teachers would be required, this means that a teacher had to teach in a class of 90 students. Now if the ratio is 1:20 then the same teacher has to teach in a class of 120 students. It is already difficult to teach a 90 student class and give attention to everyone. The teaching becomes just a monologue. It is difficult to determine whether everyone has understood or not. The overall standard of teaching is deteriorating due to this. The lower the student teacher ratio the better the quality of education.
On the other hand by eliminating so many teachers the management will get huge cut their expenses. If you think that the fees will reduce after the cut in expenses then you are misguided. There is no mandate for fee reduction hence the management has a lot to gain. This is one more way of commercialization of education.
Various Teachers’ organizations are protesting against this anti teacher and anti student policy. The teachers who are still employed and teacher who have lost their jobs should unitedly oppose this decision of AICTE. Because the work pressure on the employed teacher will increase tremendously. Along with teachers students should also participate in this struggle because not only teacher but students will also suffer due to this decision. If teachers, students and parents come together then only AICTE can be pressurized to roll back this decision.
Spark – Voice of Youth strongly condemns the decision take by AICTE. This decision is anti teachers anti student and will deteriorate standard of education, hence it should be rolled back. Spark appeals all the engineering and technology students that they should stand together with the teachers and strengthen the struggle to roll back the decision to change student teacher ratio.
