Kozhikode: Higher Secondary School principals to go on indefinite protest

KOZHIKODE: Higher Secondary School Principals in the District are all set for an indefinite protest against the Government, demanding that they be relieved from class duties, including taking classes like other teachers in their schools. The protestors have in the past filed several petitions to the Government demanding this, but no actions has been taken so far to relieve them from this double duty of School administration and class duty.

“90 percent of higher secondary principals are facing practical difficulties in doing office work along with classroom teaching.  In fact, a majority of higher secondary principals find it very difficult to carry out administrative duties along with 21 hours of teaching in a week”, said Ahamed PK, the executive committee member of Kerala Higher Secondary School Principal’s association. The majority of higher secondary principals argued that they were always under pressure from higher authorities or management for admission, promotion, examination, valuation and organizing various programmes.

“For the last two years, we have been making the same demand to the Government to reduce our burden, but no plea has been heard. It has to be noted that the protest is also being organised for Sreelakshmi Teacher, the principal of a Government school here, who committed suicide due to hectic work pressure,” he added. The fallout has been on the students, because Principals who have to teach are not able to complete portions on time and later are forced to take extra classes in order to cover the syllabus.