A decade-long struggle to fill vacancies in the Agriculture Science course in government schools finally bears fruit for teachers in Tamil Nadu

After a decade, school education department in Tamil Nadu has planned to fill the Agriculture Science teacher posts in vocational stream in government and aided schools. With teachers who are handling agricultural science demanded seeking to fill these posts, school education department has taken decision to fill the posts.

In recent circular, joint director (vocational) V Jayakumar stated that as school education department would fill the posts of agriculture graduate teacher in vocational stream, Chief Educational Officers (CEOs) to send the vacant details to the department. Following it, CEOs sent details of school name, reason for post vacant.

Tamil Nadu Agricultural Graduate Teachers' Association state president M Madhavan has welcomed this move and he said that agriculture graduate teacher's appointment held on 2009 and after that the posts have not been filled. "At present, around 50 teacher posts are vacant in nearly 400 schools across the state. Besides, agriculture graduate teachers posts have been abolished and agriculture science subject has been closed for the last ten years. Our demand is that the government should consider to start the subject in the closed places and fill the teachers in the abolished posts considering rural students' education. Regarding it, we have submitted a memorandum with school education department officers," he said.

An agriculture graduate teacher in Kinathukadavu block, on condition of anonymity said, "Apart from appointing teachers, school education department should focus on setting up the agriculture lab in the schools. Due to lack of lab facility, students do not learn lessons practically. They learn theory in subjects for two years, and there is no practical skill among them."

"Department should allot fund to this stream to take the students to a short tour in the places of agricultural university, farming, etc and they will get the benefit of practical experiments in their education," he demanded. When asked about it, a top official from district school education department said that vocational stream is in nine schools and the details have been sent to the department.