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Imagine standing in front of a sea of students with desks stacked so closely that you have to creatively navigate your way through the classroom.

This might be a difficult scene to visualize, however, on August 1, 2022, the General Education Department of Kerala put the teachers in this challenging position. It ordered the educational institutions to have a student-teacher ratio of 1:45 to strengthen the administrative skills and the teachers appointed after 2014-2015 will have to go out of service if the student number dropped.

This faced a huge backlash from the teacher forums. Thus, let us see what led to the revision of the decision.

What Is A Teacher-Student Ratio?

A teacher-student ratio refers to the number of students allotted per teacher in an educational institution. This number is more than just the class size as the mental health of the educators is often tied to this.

This ratio reflects the teacher's workload and their availability to offer care and services to each and every student. Most teachers and students feel that the lower the number, the better the learning and educational processes will be. This is because teachers will be able to focus on the strengths, goals, and academic challenges of the students and thus contribute to their success.

Why Do Teacher-Student Ratios Matter?

The teacher-student ratio is one of the strongest contributors to student engagement and success. Logically, the fewer students a teacher works with, the more closely they are able to adapt their teaching and per the learning styles of the students.

Moreover, they are able to develop a healthy mentoring relationship with each student and also offer insight and support that might be tricky in a large classroom. Furthermore, a lower ratio will also lighten the workload for the teachers and protect them from stress and burnout. With this, they will be able to focus on the quality of their teaching rather than quantity.

Students also tend to feel more comfortable in a smaller group. They can not only voice their opinions but also ask questions and make their needs known. A smaller ratio also offers extra care for students who might be struggling with learning obstacles. Students benefit more in a smaller classroom and they can make themselves noticed thus allowing the educators to offer tailored assistance.

Why Did Kerala Retain The Original 1:40 Ratio?

As per the new rules, posts will be lost even if the instructors have put in years of service. Earlier, if teachers lost their posts owing to a fall in student numbers, the government would extend protection for them. This practice continued till 1997 after which the teacher's bank came into existence and they earned a basic salary.

With the next government, steps for taken to protect teachers in their teaching post with all the benefits and extended protection to them till 2014-2015. As a result of which teachers would be able to continue teaching in the same school even if there was a drop in the student numbers. However, the government has been making 1:1 appointments to redeploy protected teachers in aided schools.

Protected teachers who lost their jobs were included in the teacher’s bank and they were posted to some other schools. But without the redeployment of the teachers, in the wake of the arrangement government decided to revise the 1:40 student ratio to 1:45 in high schools. Teachers appointed only till 2014-2015 will receive the protection benefit.

The Kerala School Teacher's Association and other teacher forums demanded this order be withdrawn. The associations stated that if this practice was followed hundreds of teaching positions would become redundant. Owing to such disruptions, the government finally decided to retain the 1:40 student-teacher ratio for high schools fixing vacancies for teachers in the future.

The cabinet forwarded their approval to the General Education Department and asked them to release an order regarding this by surpassing the objections of the finance department. The present ratio for high school is 1:45 however; the cabinet fixed it to 1:40.

The Bottom Line

There is no standard ratio for a classroom, but the smaller the number the better the students will be able to harness their true potential. Teachers will also have the bandwidth t go above and beyond in terms of communicating and understanding the class. However, if you are unable to understand the government’s decision and wondering how to manage your school better, you might want to pursue a diploma in educational administration and management course to gauge the situation better.

Looking for earning an educational administration and management course certification to teach English globally? If yes then contact us at 1800-212-6400 or 6292137532. You can send us an email at asiancollegeofteachers@gmail.com too!