Maharashtra junior college teachers protest against proposed staffing norms

Junior college teachers staged a sit-in protest in Latur city of Maharashtra on Wednesday against the state government's proposed new staffing approval norms. Junior college teachers from Latur, Nanded and Dharashiv districts took part in the protest organised by the Latur Divisional Junior College Teachers' Association. The protesters alleged that the draft staffing norms released by the Directorate of Education on May 27 are arbitrary, wrong and detrimental to both students and teachers.

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The protesting teachers said the staffing approvals should continue under the existing system, arguing that the current framework has been developed over decades by education experts while taking into account regional, geographical and social factors. They contended that the proposed changes would adversely affect the quality of education and deprive thousands of students of learning opportunities.

According to the protesters, the proposed norms would increase the size of practical batches in science subjects from 20 to 30 students and reduce class duration from 45 minutes to 40 minutes in five divisions across the state. The teachers association warned that the changes could lead to a significant reduction in teaching posts, with an estimated 8,000 to 10,000 junior college teachers likely to be affected.