In Tamil Nadu, recruitment procedures are governed by state-level guidelines, and evaluation is based on the subject-specific expertise of candidates, without regard for Hindi proficiency.
Published Aug 21, 2024 | 7:02 PM ⚊ Updated Aug 21, 2024 | 7:02 PM
EMRS Kumizhi. (Nitika Shivani/ South First)
South First brings you a series of ground reports from across Southern states on the impact of the Union government’s decision to impose proficiency in Hindi as a mandatory yardstick for teachers’ recruitment to Eklavya schools. These schools are meant to focus on education for children from tribal communities. The language barrier is stressing parents and students. Worse, Union government’s move is rendering native teachers jobless. This ground report from Abinavam and Kumizhi in Tamil Nadu is the fourth in the series. Read part 1, part 2, and part 3 here.
In 2023, the Union Ministry of Tribal Affairs made a Hindi language competency test a mandatory eligibility requirement for teaching in the Eklavya Model Residential Schools (EMRS) across the country.
At the all-girls school at Abinavam, Salem district, the head teacher and other staff are trying to figure out how the new rules align with existing state government regulations on recruitment.
Sushila, the headmistress of the EMRS School Abinavam, currently serving on a contract that lasts three years, explained that recruitment procedures have been governed by state-level guidelines, and evaluation was based on the subject-specific expertise of candidates, without regard for Hindi proficiency.
“The new rule has not yet been implemented in our local recruitment practices,” Sushila noted, explaining that no formal communications have been received, and staff were only getting information through media reports.
Teachers and administrators at other EMRS institutions in Tamil Nadu also said they were not fully aware of the new mandate.
Abinavam school. (Nitika Shivani/ South First)
Lakshmi, an English teacher from Mumbai at the Abinavam school, said complying with the requirement of Hindi proficiency would not be hard for her, though it could prove challenging for those unfamiliar with Hindi and serving in this school system.
In Tamil Nadu, EMRS schools are commonly known as Adi Dravidar schools. The schools were introduced by the Union government in 1997-98 to provide sound middle- and high-school level education to tribal students in remote areas so they could avail professional and higher education, and make use of the provision of reservation for Scheduled Tribes in such institutions.
These schools offer free residential education between classes six-12. The Union budget announcement of 2018-19 set out the aim of having one such school in every block with half or more Scheduled Tribe (ST) population, or at least 20,000 STs, by 2022.
In March 2020, in a written reply submitted in Parliament, the then-Union Minister of State for Tribal Affairs Renuka Singh Saruta stated that 438 EMRS institutions were sanctioned until then, although only 285 were functional.
Just one year after that goal of introducing such schools in all blocks with substantial ST population, the Union government introduced the Hindi mandate for teacher recruitment, raising questions about the relevance of such a recruitment norm for a state like Tamil Nadu, where ST groups have their language and specific needs.
Theertham, a staffer at the Abinavam school said the state’s norms for recruitment involve evaluation based on trial classes, resumes, and subject expertise. That procedure for recruitment remains unchanged, without any need for Hindi language competency. This highlights a significant communication gap between the Union and state governments.
பழங்குடியினர் நலத்துறையின் கீழ் இயங்கும் அரசுப்பள்ளிகளில் காலியாக உள்ள ஆசிரியர் பணியிடங்களை உடனடியாக நிரப்ப வேண்டும்!@CMOTamilnadu @mkstalin
தமிழ்நாடு அரசின் பழங்குடியினர் நலத்துறையின் கீழ் 212 ஆரம்பப்பள்ளிகள், 49 நடுநிலைப்பள்ளிகள், 31 உயர்நிலைப்பள்ளிகள் 28 மேல்நிலைப்… pic.twitter.com/wmrImldRF1
— செந்தமிழன் சீமான் (@Seeman4TN) July 28, 2024
Tamil Nadu, has 320 tribal welfare schools, including 212 primary schools, 49 middle schools, 31 high schools, and 28 higher secondary schools. All of these face the challenge of retaining teaching staff. There are currently over 500 teacher vacancies, and educational disruption faced by students is a concern.
The Tamil Nadu State Recruitment Board (TNTRB) oversees teacher recruitment for these schools, typically following state-level procedures without mandatory Hindi proficiency.
Minister for Adi Dravidar and Tribal Welfare, Kayalvizhi Selvaraj, is responsible for initiatives aimed at enhancing the socioeconomic status of Tamil Nadu’s Scheduled Castes and Tribes. The ongoing teacher shortage, exacerbated by the dismissal of contract teachers recently appointed by the DMK government, has impacted students’ education.
Annadhurai, the director of EMRS schools in the state, said, “The state government has a 40 percent stake in decision-making. We follow the state syllabus, not CBSE, where only English and Tamil are necessary, not two languages apart from English. The awareness (about this new recruitment rule) isn’t there simply because we don’t follow it, and it hasn’t been enforced as a rule yet.”
The existing staff at Eklavya schools in Tamil Nadu was appointed by the state government based on local recruitment procedures, and these do not currently require candidates to clear a mandatory Hindi proficiency examination, as dictated by the Union government. Education was a subject under the State List of the Constitution after Independence, but Constitutional Amendment 1976 (42nd Amendment) moved it to the Concurrent List, allowing both the Centre and state to legislate on it.
Tamil Nadu continues to appoint teachers through its own processes, using a localised approach designed to cater to the specific linguistic and educational needs of the region. Recruitment procedures are designed to ensure that teachers are well-versed with the cultural context from which the children are drawn.
The teachers at Salem that South First spoke to, explained that the ability to communicate effectively in the local language and ensuring a conducive learning environment for the students was the priority.
At the Eklavya school in Kumizhi, Chengalpattu district, there have been frequent changes of leadership and many past headmasters. Long-serving teachers at EMRS institutions are often underpaid, compared to their counterparts in other schools, despite their extensive experience.
The new headmaster of the school in Kumizhi, Venkateshwaran told South First, “Even when computers and laboratories may be provided, there has to be consistent allocation of resources to be able to use these properly.”
Many of these schools also see poor enrolment, he said, emphasising the need to spread awareness about this provision offered by the government to ST communities.
The lack of sports facilities and reliable internet connection, for instance, hampers the educational experience at the Kumizhi school. Even though the school has a 16-acre campus, opportunities for participation in any of the mainstream sports is limited by the absence of ground levelling or sports-centric development.
The Hindi mandate appears to reflect policy-making without an acquaintance with the challenges faced by the Eklavya schools in their particular contexts. Stable tenures for head teachers, better teacher welfare and enhanced infrastructure were the issues that serving staff considered more pressing in Tamil Nadu.
(Edited by Rosamma Thomas)
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