A Peon In Haryana School Doubles As A Math Teacher Due To Lack Of Teaching Staff

The government and NGOs are doing their bit in improving education for students in underdeveloped villages in the country. From scholarships to mid-day meals, a lot of initiatives have been taken for the betterment of our education system. But some school still face a lack of necessary funds or teaching staff.

In one such government school of Majri, Haryana around 400 students have been enrolled but they have a teaching staff of just 19 teachers. Out of which there’s only one PGT qualified teacher to teach maths in the school, reports HT.

In order to deal with the shortage, a peon, Kamal Khan who holds an MSc degree in Physics doubles as a Math teacher for class 9 students.

Sudhir Kalra, deputy district education officer, explained,

“Kamal holds an MSc in Physics and when the Maths teacher was overburdened with work, he went up to the principal and offered to take some classes. I’ve heard that he taught effectively and the students too enjoyed his class. So when the Maths teacher came back, Kamal offered to take 17-18 classes a week to ease the workload.”

Kamal must certainly be over-qualified for the post of peon in the school but he doesn’t fit as a Math teacher either as he has a PG degree in Physics and not in Math.

However, the DOE believes that ‘something is better than nothing’ and said, “We should look at the positive side. He is going beyond his call of duty. He rings the bell, offers water to the staff and then teaches students. He has the qualities of a responsible teacher.”

While the case personifies the proverb, ‘a cloud with a silver lining’, it’s heartbreaking to see students struggle due to lack of adequate teaching staff at schools. We hope it gets better soon!