The Kerala Higher Secondary Teachers’ Union (KHSTU) has written to the Minister for General Education demanding that the government reconsider redeployment of teachers in batches with less than 25 students at the fag end of the academic year.

The KHSTU said that following staff fixation in the 2024-25 academic year, 420 government teacher posts were set to be abolished owing to the decline in number of students in higher secondary batches to below 25. The Directorate of Higher Secondary Education under the General Education department had decided to redeploy 210 of these teachers to schools where posts were vacant. However, the redeployment was against the current higher secondary transfer norms prepared under the High Court supervision.

The union pointed out that the prescribed strength of an HSS batch was 50. It was only after marginal increase owing to seat shortage that the student strength rose to 60 or 65. This often led to a fall in student strength in another batch to below 25. The presence of an aided school in the vicinity of a government school without many facilities also led to a drop in student strength in higher secondary batches in the latter. The government was now abolishing teacher posts in such HSS batches in government schools. However, if the size of a batch were to be capped at 50, instead of 60 or 65, the number of students in another batch would go up.

The union asked where would the candidates on Kerala Public Service Commission’s special rank-lists published in 2024 be appointed after the teacher redeployment if there were no posts.

The government should take policy decisions in the case of posts that are in excess owing to the fall in student numbers. Redeployment of teachers at the fag end of the academic year would pose difficulties for their dependents, the KHSTU pointed out.

An official in the DHSE said no order for redeployment had been issued yet. Also, if the teachers were not redeployed and salary was paid to them for months without any work, audit objections would be raised the next year. Abolition or redeployment were administrative measures that depended on a host of factors and could result in some delay. Current vacancies would be reported, but it was up to the government to take a policy decision on related issues.

The KHSTU said it planned to hold a day-and-night satyagraha in front of the DHSE here on February 27 and 28.