To check teacher absenteeism and the use of proxies in Uttar Pradesh, the photographs of all teaching staff will now be displayed on the walls of public schools.
The Uttar Pradesh government has issued directives to all district basic education officers in this regard.
These directives mandate the display of photographs for all teachers, including instructors (‘anudeshak’) and para teachers (‘shiksha Mitra), within classrooms.
The displays should also include each teacher’s educational qualifications, date of joining the school, mobile number, assigned class and subject, and any achievements like state or national teacher awards.
“Displaying photographs of teachers in schools will allow students and the administration to easily distinguish between real teachers and substitutes,” said an official.
“Implementation shouldn’t be difficult for schools, even with 10-15 teachers, because the photos will not require significant space,” he added.
Funding for this initiative comes from the Samagra Shiksha outlay for the 2024-25 academic session.
The government has allocated Rs 7.9 crore for Teaching Learning Materials in primary schools and Rs 3.3 crore for upper primary schools under the Learning Enhancement Programme Remedial Teaching scheme.
The photographs will also serve to inform parents about the identities of their children’s teachers. This increased awareness will empower them to raise concerns if a teacher is absent without a valid reason.
The state government, it may be recalled, had issued a similar order earlier but the same was not complied with in letter and spirit hence a repeat order has been issued.