BMC gets stringent against blacklisted teachers

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is set to further tighten its noose around teachers and principals who have a poor attendance record. Around 50 teachers, including school principals, may be suspended in days to come. A senior civic official confirmed that more teachers have been found to skip classes, which the authority learned of during official visits to its schools.

Last week, the BMC administration suspended 20 teachers, including four principals, from its schools for being absent and not leading to any progress in their students' academic performance. The civic body had also issued names of suspended teachers.

"The expert team is interacting with school students and checking what teachers have taught them in the last six months," said a civic official. Many teachers have been found to be absent continuously. "Some of them have not even finished one third of the book, and school students complained that such teachers are absent for a month without any information," said the official.

The 16 teachers, including principals, who were suspended last week were absent in 2014, some in 2015, while others between 2016-17, till date. Apart from poor teaching and absent from school, many teachers were also found forging their attendance. "These teachers used to mark their attendance from biometric from a nearby schools and they remained absent from the school," said the official.