New school timings will vitiate education scenario: Teachers (Herald)

New school timings will vitiate education scenario: Teachers July 1, 2013 TEAM HERALD MARGAO: Agitated teachers under the banner of Higher Secondary Teachers’ Association of Goa on Sunday said the change in school timings will vitiate the education scenario in the state and has called upon the government to take all the stakeholders into confidence on the issue. The Association has also decided to submit a memorandum to the Chief Minister, Manohar Parrikar, who also holds the Education portfolio, on their long-pending demands including promotional avenues and sick leave. After the executive committee meeting, HSTAG President Girish Chodankar expressed shock and surprise over the decision to change the school timings without taking the stakeholders into confidence. “The school timing is the last item on the Right to Education Act. If the government was sincere in implementing the Act, it should have addressed other issues before implementing the timing. It appears that the government wanted to teach the teachers a lesson, but has only ended up in causing harassment to the students and parents. How can the government confine a primary student for five-and-half hours in the school?” he asked. Stating that HSTAG has decided to demand sick leave for the higher secondary teachers, Girish said the meeting has resolved to ask minimum 15 days sick leave for the teachers. “Unlike government servants, teachers put in work even on Saturdays, but higher secondary teachers don’t get sick leave”, he said. On the promotional front, he said the meeting resolved to ask the government for compulsory promotions after every 10 years of service. “We want the prevailing promotion policy to be done away with by promoting the teachers every 10 years”, he added. http://www.heraldgoa.in/News/Local%20News/New-school-timings-will-vitiate-education-scenario-Teachers/76355.html