Best teacher awards selection under scanner

As per the standard procedure of the selection, the District Educational Officers (DEO) publish an advertisement in local vernacular newspapers seeking applications from eligible teachers for the awards.

Mancherial: Teachers Day celebrated on September 5 is around the corner. Services of eminent teachers are recognized by way of conferring awards on this day. But, doubts are being raised over the selection criteria for district-level best teacher awards.

As per the standard procedure of the selection, the District Educational Officers (DEO) publish an advertisement in local vernacular newspapers seeking applications from eligible teachers for the awards.

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The proposals for the award are submitted by the Mandal Educational Officers through complex headmasters to DEOs. On the basis of the proposals, the DEOs forward the names of the teachers to the district Collectors for consideration.

“But a section of DEOs are not showing interest in giving wide publicity to the announcement of the awards. They are unable to cross-check the efficiency and performance of the teachers. They are often being misled by certain MEOs who suggest names of undeserving and dubious candidates,” a senior teacher alleged under the condition of anonymity.

Meanwhile, some staffers of the Education Department are allegedly calling up the applicants and luring them by promising to help in bagging the awards, citing their proximity to DEOs. “They extract somewhere between Rs 5,000 and 10,000 from the applicants. The awards can easily be bought now. As a result, genuine teachers are ignored and feel demotivated,” another teacher regretted.

“This whole system needs to be reviewed and streamlined to make sure that only deserving and committed teachers who are sincere and honest in their duties are conferred with the awards. Then only it will be received by the society and people who should feel that only real best teachers are awarded,” Dr Parvathi Satyanarayana, State honorary president of Progressive Recognised Teachers Union-Telangana, observed.