In a significant move to address a critical staff shortage, the Department of School Education and Literacy in Karnataka has issued a directive to ensure students in government schools are not deprived of physical education. The department has instructed all Deputy Directors of Public Instruction (DDPIs) across the state to arrange for physical education teachers from schools that have them to be deputed to nearby institutions lacking such staff for at least two days every week.
Addressing a Statewide Shortage
The initiative comes after a sustained campaign by the Karnataka State School Development and Monitoring Committee (SDMC) Coordination Committee. The committee's president, Mohidduin Kutty, revealed that the campaign began in August with a memorandum submitted to senior officials and ministers, which received a positive response. The core issue is the acute shortage of dedicated physical education instructors in hundreds of schools, particularly in rural areas.
A departmental circular highlighted the problem, noting that the allocation of PE teachers based on student strength has left numerous schools without any physical education instruction. To bridge this gap, a sharing model has been mandated where teachers will serve multiple nearby schools twice weekly.
The Scale of the Problem
The vacancies paint a stark picture of the shortage. In Dakshina Kannada district alone, there are 287 vacancies for PE teachers in government higher primary schools, with only 160 posts currently filled. The situation in high schools is slightly better but still concerning; of the 170 government high schools, only 132 have a physical education teacher.
Despite existing rules that mandate a PE teacher for higher primary schools with over 200 students, many such schools operate without one. Kutty emphasized that this shortage is not confined to one district but is a problem across all districts in the state.
Expected Impact and Benefits
This innovative sharing arrangement is expected to have a wide-reaching impact. It is projected to benefit nearly 700 to 800 schools across Karnataka by providing students with basic sports education and essential physical training. The primary goal is to ensure that every child in the government school system has access to structured physical activity, which is crucial for holistic development.
By mobilizing existing resources more efficiently, the education department aims to mitigate the adverse effects of the staff shortage. This step is seen as a practical interim solution while longer-term recruitment and posting strategies are developed to permanently fill the hundreds of vacant positions.
