Even as the students in corporation schools continue to excel their counterparts in private schools academically, several city corporation schools are facing acute shortage of clerical staff. As a result, the shortage is affecting the daily routine of the school.
The absence of clerical staff has forced headmasters in corporation schools to multitask. “I have to reach early in the morning and take care of the water supply for the day and ring the bell every hour as well,” lamented a headmaster on condition of anonymity.
“We are finding it extremely difficult to manage without the clerical staff. I am sure my colleagues in other schools too are facing similar hardships,” he added.
In some schools, headmasters are forced to spend hours together on government circulars. “Sometimes I have to respond to four circulars in a day without assistance. How will I find time for my academic work?” a headmaster wonders.
Teachers’ forum claimed that government schools too face shortage of clerical satff. “This deficiency is indirectly affecting the performance of the teacher because they are forced to do these jobs sacrificing their class hours. This is a long-pending demand of our fraternity,” said N. Thamarai Kannan, president, TN Integrated Graduate Teachers’ Association.
When contacted, a senior official in education department conceded the fact and said, “There is a shortage of clerical staff.”