Secondary Grade Teachers protest GO 25, demand lower workload and class-wise staffing
Secondary Grade Teachers staged lunch-break protests against GO No. 25, demanding one teacher per class, a 1:20 pupil-teacher ratio and relief from non-teaching duties.
Secondary Grade Teachers (SGTs) held lunch-break protests at ZPHS Indupur and other schools, opposing the implementation of GO No. 25 and seeking its withdrawal or amendment. Similar demonstrations were reported at schools across the State, according to K Mahipal Reddy, president of the Secondary Grade Teachers Union (SGTU).
The union said measures being rolled out under the banner of Foundational Literacy and Numeracy (FLN) were adding to the workload of SGTs in primary schools. It demanded that the government provide one teacher for every class and bring the teacher-pupil ratio down to 1:20.
Teachers also linked the protests to an alleged suicide attempt by Prashanth, a teacher at Silvokodur school in Jagtial district, who reportedly came under severe pressure during a school complex meeting.
The protesters called for teachers to be freed from non-teaching duties so they can concentrate on classroom instruction. They also objected to steps that, they said, were placing extra pressure on teachers in the name of ensuring one teacher for every class.