Tamil Nadu Primary School Teachers' Federation demanded the State Government to lower the teacher-student ratio from 1:30 to 1:20, citing the fall in the birth rate in Tamil Nadu. The federation's executive committee, led by its district President Arockiaraj, passed a resolution in this connection in Courtallam. "At present, the teacher-student ratio in the state is 1:30 in the government primary schools. It was set a few years ago when the Tamil Nadu government implemented the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009. However, after this, the birth rate in Tamil Nadu has declined. Considering this, the State Government should lower the teacher-student ratio to 1:20," said Arockiaraj.
The State Executive Committee Member, Marudhu Pandian, said that the quality of the education can be improved by lowering the teacher-student ratio. "By this, the teachers can interact with each student and utilise their efficiency for the improvement of all the students in their classroom," he added. The federation also passed a resolution urging the appointment of Physical Education Teachers in all government middle schools.
"The State Government should set up a Science Centre in Tenkasi to improve the Science knowledge among the school students. It should also take steps to get the scholarship amount for children of beedi workers on time and appoint a grievance redressal officer to handle the complaints from the students and parents. The School Education Department should ensure that the transfer counselling for the teachers of government panchayat schools is conducted in a transparent manner," read the resolution.
