Just 357 men as teachers at primary level
the goan I network
PANAJI
Handling children at the primary school level is tough and men don’t have the stomach or patience for it. That is, by and large, the reason why over 90 per cent of the teachers at the primary level are female.
Statistics reveal that only 357 males have taken up teaching at primary level, constituting merely eight per cent of the total number of teachers.
“You require lot of patience to handle children at primary level and I don’t think men are that patient. One needs to really invest a lot in terms of these younger ones than the older ones who are at secondary and higher secondary level. They are matured enough to understand. If you assign a particular activity to them, they can do it. Whereas in case of the smaller ones, we have to make them understand and may be do things yourself while they do it. This I feel is a major reason why men don’t prefer getting into teaching at primary level”, said a male teacher who has been teaching at secondary level for the past decade.
“I have seen how these children drive the teachers crazy. Already men are less patient than women. Secondly, I have seen how patiently my neighbour dealt with the kids. I don’t have so much of patience. So I preferred taking up teaching at middle level”, said another male teacher.
Another reason the male teachers pointed to was availability of various job options.
“For getting into teaching at primary level, one needs to complete DEd for which the criterion is XII pass. Men usually take up graduation in various streams after completing twelfth and generally it is seen that the women are more inclined towards teaching than the men”, admitted a male teacher.
Nonetheless, he was also of the opinion that men get into teaching only if they do not have any other option.
“People have it in their mind that teaching is a woman’s job. So, it has also been observed that men keep themselves away from teaching”, he said.
Meanwhile, Panaji MLA Sidharth Kuncalienker, who is the chairman of Gomantak Marathi Shikshan Parishad which runs Dayanand Arya
