Status of Status of Para-teachers in Para-teachers in

IndiaIndia

All India Primary Teachers’ Federation

Status of Para-teachers in India

Para-teachers are not being appointed in India alone. They are being appointed in other developing countries too

particularly in Africa, Latin America, China:

Appointment of para-teachers is being made at the instance of World Bank for cost effectiveness and efficiency in education.

West and Central Africa

a) i) Senegal ii) Niger

Half of teaching workforce contract teachers

b) Guinea 39 per cent

c) Togo 31 per cent

b) Cameroon 20 per cent

Chad and Ivory Coast no contract teachers

Latin America Peru 11 per cent

Chile 20 per cent

In India, number of para-teachers is growing steadily;

About 0.7 million para-teachers;

In Uttar Pradesh alone 1.70 lakh para-teachers;

They constituted 10.48% of the total teaching workforce in 2007-2008. Presently they may be around 15%;

Predominantly employed in rural areas (93%);

About 54% professionally untrained.

In a number of states, professional qualification is not necessary for being a teacher. (AP, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Meghalaya, UP, Uttarakhand, WB)

Percentage of Para-teachers in India

More than 7.7% of schools are being manned by para-teachers alone;

Some States have stopped recruitment of regular teachers; (Gujarat, Maharashtra, Odisha, W.B., Haryana)

Infrastructure facilities woefully poor;

Government run primary schools have become temples of learning of the poorest of the poor.

Quality of Instruction

Rate of absenteeism among para-teachers higher than regular teachers in Peru (World Bank study);Efficiency of para-teachers starts declining after a period; Depression sets inInduction training inadequateGenerates leadersBack door entry of para-teachersFavoritism and corruption in appointment of para-teachers

Canon of Social Justice

Para-teachers being exploited because they are paid remuneration (1/4 or 1/5 ) than regular teachers;

No gratuity, No. pensionOnly few states regularize their services

(Maharashtra, Gujarat, Odisha and H.P.)Minimum wage (hardly sufficient to maintain family

of four members; andThis is happening in a welfare state.

AIPTF PolicyAIPTF Policy

Quality teacher for quality education

- Teaching is a profession. Only professionals can improve quality of education. Talented individuals need to be attracted to the profession. They need to imparted rigorous training to render them professional.

Stoppage of recruitment of Para-teachers.

Bringing Para-teachers to the mainstream by providing them necessary professional training.