Government Primary Schools in Telangana Move to Half-Day Schedule Due to Staff Reassignments
Typically, half-day schedules are only implemented during peak summer months due to heat conditions. However, with staff required for the survey, the government has adjusted school hours, ensuring students are released after receiving their mid-day meals.
Hyderabad: Beginning Wednesday, all 18,241 government primary schools across Telangana will operate on a shortened schedule, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., due to a reassignment of teaching staff for a caste survey and consultation project. This shift affects nearly 40,000 educators, including 36,559 Secondary Grade Teachers (SGTs) and 3,414 primary school headmasters (PSHMs), who are tasked with conducting the survey work for three weeks.
Typically, half-day schedules are only implemented during peak summer months due to heat conditions. However, with staff required for the survey, the government has adjusted school hours, ensuring students are released after receiving their mid-day meals.
This decision comes as students prepare for the National Achievement Survey (NAS), set for December 4, which assesses learning outcomes for students in Classes III, VI, and IX. Many teachers have voiced concerns about the potential impact on students’ academic performance, especially with NAS approaching.
In addition to primary teaching staff, 6,256 staff from Mandal Resource Centers (MRCs) and about 2,000 administrative employees from government, MPP/ZPP, and aided schools have also been drafted for the survey. Non-teaching personnel, including accountants, ANMs, and PETs from KGBVs and URSs, are also part of this extensive door-to-door survey team.
Teachers and headmasters will be involved in survey activities on all designated holidays, as per directives from the Planning Department. Notably, primary school teachers stationed at upper primary and high schools are exempt from the survey duties, allowing those institutions to continue their regular schedules.
