Move to shift teaching posts in Psychology to Botany and Zoology draws ire in Karnataka
The Hindu
Karnataka Psychologists’ Association underlines dire need for more psychologists, especially in times of COVID-19
The Department of Collegiate Education’s recent decision to reallocate unfilled posts of teaching staff in the Psychology department at different Government First Grade Colleges to the Botany and Zoology departments of other colleges citing an absence of workload has drawn the ire of the Karnataka Psychologists’ Association. The Commissioner of Collegiate Education cited poor response from students to take up Psychology as a subject and issued an order on June 29 reallocating 19 teaching staff posts in Psychology departments of 16 colleges in the State to Botany and Zoology subjects of other colleges.Several principals of government and private schools in Delhi on Tuesday said the Directorate of Education (DoE) circular from a day earlier, directing schools to conduct classes in ‘hybrid’ mode, had caused confusion regarding day-to-day operations as they did not know how many students would return to school from Wednesday and how would teachers instruct in two modes — online and in person — at once. The DoE circular on Monday had also stated that the option to “exercise online mode of education, wherever available, shall vest with the students and their guardians”. Several schoolteachers also expressed confusion regarding the DoE order. A government schoolteacher said he was unsure of how to cope with the resumption of physical classes, given that the order directing government offices to ensure that 50% of the employees work from home is still in place. On Monday, the Commission for Air Quality Management in the National Capital Region and Adjoining Areas (CAQM) had, on the orders of the Supreme Court, directed schools in Delhi-NCR to shift classes to the hybrid mode, following which the DoE had issued the circular. The court had urged the Centre’s pollution watchdog to consider restarting physical classes due to many students missing out on the mid-day meals and lacking the necessary means to attend classes online. The CAQM had, on November 20, asked schools in Delhi-NCR to shift to the online mode of teaching.