Telangana: Teachers set to miss summer break due to exam heat

HYDERABAD: Many teachers in the state are set to go without a summer break this year with board exams scheduled from April-May.
Usually, every year the summer break begins from April-end and continues till the first or second week of June. But with the state board, Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) and Indian Certificate of Secondary Education (ICSE) exams scheduled during peak summer season from Aprilend to mid-June, most secondary school teachers will be deprived of their summer break as they will have to report for invigilation and other examination duties.
Of the total 3.20 lakh teachers in Telangana, close to 39,000 teach in classes 9-12, as per figures from the Union ministry of education report in 2020-21.
“Teachers are under immense pressure to not only ensure that students fare well in the boards but also to evaluate answer sheets. Summer holidays have been cancelled for teachers in most schools,” said Sheikh Shabbir Ali, president of Telangana Private Teachers Forum.
Ali said that teachers are also spending extra hours with students to make up for learning gaps during online classes.
Moreover, examination during the pandemic requires more teachers as students have to be seated ensuring social distancing norms. Several school managements have verbally communicated to teachers not to make any travel plans during the exam period and be ready for additional duties.
“We were informed that we not only have to take up invigilation but also record online modules and plan lessons for the next year. Due to this, we have to spend extra hours every day apart from the school hours. This is adding immense pressure on us,” said a teacher of a private school in Kondapur.