BRTEs demands to be converted as BT assistants this academic yr

CHENNAI: Due to work overload and hectic field work involved, the Block Resource Teacher Educators (BRTEs) association has urged the School Education Department to convert 1,000 of them as Bachelor in Teaching (BT) assistants this academic year.

Additionally, the BRTEs have requested the department to revise the travel allowance to Rs 3,600. Currently, BRTEs claim that they are given a meagre Rs 900 since 2014.

Meanwhile in the case of posting, the government mandates appointing 500 BT assistants every year. However, the order has not been implemented from 2014 till 2021, said sources. “Since 2010, the department has been holding recruitments. In the place of 6,000 BRTEs mandated by the government, currently there are only 2,800. With fewer staff, we are forced to work with nearly 40 schools per person instead of 10-15 schools. Considering our increased work burden for several years now, the department should convert 1,000 BRTEs on the basis of seniority and willingness this academic year," said KP Balaji, general secretary of TNBRTEs Association.

Additionally, due to lack of BRTEs in the State, a vital job of tracking out of school children also gets severely hit, allege association members.

Subsequently, the association has insisted on general counseling for the rest of the staff who will be left after reposting. The association also pointed out the lack of BRTEs in Tamil and Social Science subjects, which ultimately becomes an issue while training the teachers and monitoring the teaching process in the schools.

The BRTEs across the State are recruited through the Teachers' Recruitment Board and they work under Samagara Siksha Abhiyan (SSA). The duty of BRTEs entail providing training to the teachers, tracking the out of school children and providing inclusive education for disabled students. Besides this, BRTEs also keep track of facilities in the government schools.