308 teachers posted in 270 Karnataka schools with zero enrolment: UDISE+ report
Bengaluru: The Karnataka government has appointed 308 teachers to 270 schools that currently have no students enrolled, according to the Union government’s Unified District Information System for Education Plus (UDISE+) report for 2024-25.
The Deccan Herald reported that the data shows that while several schools with higher enrolments face shortages of teaching staff, teachers continue to be retained in schools without a single student. However, the number of such cases has significantly reduced compared to last year. In 2023-24, 1,572 teachers were deployed in 1,078 schools with zero enrolment. This year, the figure has come down to 308 teachers in 270 schools.
Officials from the School Education and Literacy Department defended the move, stating that maintaining staff in such schools is part of the government’s policy of not shutting down institutions. “The idea is to encourage admissions. If teachers are present, parents may be more willing to send their children,” a department official said. Some schools with just one student also have teachers posted.
Educationists point out that in several regions, especially those with geographical barriers, the presence of a teacher is essential even when enrolment is negligible. “Since posts cannot be abolished, it is possible that teachers are shown against such schools in the survey but deputed elsewhere,” explained development educationist V. P. Niranjanaradhya.
The UDISE+ 2024-25 report also highlights the scale of single-teacher schools in Karnataka. There are 7,349 such schools catering to 2.23 lakh students. Last year, the figure was higher, with 7,821 single-teacher schools accommodating 2.74 lakh students.
While the enrolment distribution ratio shows that 8.1 per cent of schools in the state have fewer than 10 students, 11.7 per cent have between 11 and 20, while only 6 per cent have more than 500 students, Karnataka has 74,859 schools with a combined enrolment of 1.17 crore students.
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Real Madrid fines Valverde and Tchouaméni half a million euros each for altercation
Barcelona (AP): Real Madrid slapped players Federico Valverde and Aurélien Tchouaméni with half-a-million-euro ($588,000) fines on Friday for their altercation during practice.
The massive fines came a day after the midfielders tussled when the team trained. Valverde said in a post on social media on Thursday that no punches were thrown. But Valverde knocked his head on a table and he suffered a small cut that required a brief hospital visit.
On social media, Valverde initially called it a “meaningless fight” with a teammate and said “everything has been blown out of proportion."
His employers, however, considered it a significant enough breach of team discipline to nail both Valverde and Tchouaméni with fines that bite even the bank account of a top soccer player. The half-a-million euro penalties reflect the reputational damage the club was enduring in a chaotic end to a disappointing season.
In a statement, the 15-time European champion said its disciplinary action was concluded after both players expressed to the club “their complete remorse for what happened and apologized to one another.”
Madrid added they also apologized to their teammates, the coaching staff and club supporters, as well as showing their willingness to accept whatever disciplinary action the club deemed “opportune.”
Tchouaméni was back training with Madrid on Friday, two days before they play at Barcelona in a clasico. Madrid has to win otherwise Barcelona will be crowned La Liga champion.
After being notified of the fine, he posted a public apology to the club and its fans on social media.
“What happened this week in training is unacceptable,” Tchouaméni wrote. "I say this while thinking about the example we are expected to set for young people, whether in football or at school.
“Above all, I am sorry for the image we projected of the club.”
Valverde was not at practice due to the head knock.
Both players are set to play in the World Cup next month, with Tchouaméni playing for France and Valverde for Uruguay.
Chaotic end to a poor season
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The run-in between the players, who for seasons have played side by side in Madrid's midfield, came after they argued this week in previous training sessions. But tempers boiled over on Thursday. Spanish media was rife with reports that the players previously disagreed over the club's decision to let coach Xabi Alonso go after just months on the job.
It was not the only altercation involving Madrid players during training this week. Álvaro Carreras confirmed he was in a “minor” incident with a teammate. Spanish media said he and fellow defender Antonio Rüdiger got into a scuffle.
Álvaro Arbeloa, the coach who was promoted from Madrid's reserve team when Alonso was fired in January, will face tough questions on what went wrong inside the changing room when he gives a press conference on Saturday ahead of the clasico at Camp Nou.
Madrid is facing a second consecutive campaign without a major trophy amid rumors in the Spanish media that club president Florentino Pérez is considering bringing back Jose Mourinho to straighten out his underperforming team.
