Primary teachers drowning in digital workload

metro india news  I hyderabad

The school bell rings, students open their books and wait for their teacher. But in several government primary schools across Telangana, teachers are increasingly being pulled away from classrooms to complete online data-entry and administrative tasks. Secondary Grade Teachers (SGTs) say a growing number of education department apps have turned smartphones into an everyday burden. Student attendance must be uploaded through an attendance app at the start of the school day, while details of midday meals, including the number of students served, menu and eggs received, have to be entered online.

Student marks, progress reports, photographs of toilets and details of school expenditure also have to be uploaded. Teachers say the workload has intensified under various digital initiatives, including FLN and Sparsh. Under FLN activities, teachers are required to conduct multiple activities for students and upload photographs and videos. In areas with poor mobile connectivity, particularly tribal and remote regions, completing these tasks can consume substantial classroom time.

The staffing situation in primary schools has added to the pressure. Teachers point to Government Order 25 issued in 2022, under which staffing was linked to student strength. Schools with up to 60 students may have only two teachers, while those with 20–30 students can have just one teacher. Such teachers may be required to handle multiple classes and subjects while also managing administrative duties and midday-meal records.

Teacher representatives report that over 12,000 schools face severe staffing constraints, with more than 60% of primary schools operating with only one or two teachers. Multi-grade teaching leaves many students unattended, while administrative burdens like the Sparsh financial portal, frequent server failures, and poor rural connectivity force teachers to perform data entry after hours.

Teacher associations argue that official inspections prioritize app uploads over actual learning, driving extreme stress among Secondary Grade Teachers (SGTs). This mounting crisis gained attention following a teacher’s suicide attempt in Mancherial and claims of 12 stress-related fatal heart attacks across Telangana.

Representing around 40,000 SGTs, teacher organizations are uniting for a broader movement. Beyond demanding a review of GO 317, their primary demand is clear: hire dedicated administrative staff for data entry so teachers can focus on classroom instruction without sacrificing educational quality.