As schools view parents as customers, teachers struggle to focus on academics

Part 1 of this article spoke about how teachers in government, private, and prestigious international schools in India are not just teaching anymore. Their workload has increased so much and their responsibilities so diverse, it extends beyond classroom teaching.

Read Part 1 | Tutor, clerk, peon, cook, surveyor: Unseen travails of Indian teachers

Teachers face stress from various sources: lack of management support, poor pay, diminished status, demanding parents, challenging student behaviour, staffing shortages, and incessant requests for data.

Academics vs rest

The ultimate irony here is that the teacher's Annual Confidential Report (ACR) and appraisal are based on academic outcomes. The other responsibilities that teachers take on go unrecognised.

Teachers are often held accountable for student learning outcomes, yet the challenges they face are systemic. A clear connection exists between students' learning outcomes and teachers' time spent in the classroom. Counterintuitively, they are so burdened with non-academic work that teaching forms just a part of it.

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International schools in India, which follow British, American, and IB curriculums, have more stringent student-teacher ratios and other teaching norms. And yet, the plight of teachers in those schools appaers to be no better.

International school teachers

International school teachers in India manage a slew of non-academic tasks of a different kind. A survey conducted among these teachers across various Indian cities involved around 40 participants, with in-depth discussions held with eight teachers.

Their responsibilities include serving on disciplinary committees, supervising lunch and corridors, meeting parents, sending newsletters, conducting workshops for parents, collecting fees, and maintaining health care records — often even marketing the school.

Besides, they organise, anchor and curate annual functions and cultural events, and prepare children for various competitions. They manage events like school trips and escort students during tournaments and competitions to different centres.

Transport functions

Teachers are also made responsible for transport functions in some schools. The children must not fight in the bus and teachers are held responsible if anything undesirable happens.

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Communication with parents is emphasised in international schools. Teacher Ganesh (all names changed) pointed out that teachers must regularly send photos and updates to parents to promote the school.

Another teacher, Harris, added, “Each week, subject teachers need to send pictures of activities, along with learning outcomes, to the class teacher, who compiles everything for parents. Even if there are weeks with fewer activities, we feel compelled to produce something for parents. We must keep them satisfied because 'they are our customers' is the stand often taken by the school management.”

Annual reports

Teachers are also supposed to compile, write, edit, and finalise annual reports and check them till they go up to printing, and bring out regular newsletters.

In the survey, 80 per cent of international school teachers reported teaching 25 to 30 sessions. The teachers are generally scheduled to teach 30-36 hours a week, and most stay in the classrooms for at least 30 hours.

An additional four or five hours are added when they must come early or leave late to attend various other activities. Among these, 40 per cent indicated they also handle 10-20 additional hours of academic and non-teaching responsibilities, including mentoring junior teachers and lesson planning.

Taking work home

Most surveyed teachers reported taking work home, which often includes planning, portal updates, and grading.

Richa, an international school teacher, quipped: “Don’t ask about taking schoolwork home; all my lesson planning happens only at home.”

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Government school teachers mentioned that they frequently must provide information or data — like attendance or mid-day meal details — after school hours. International schools' teachers are on to data provision, too.

Ganesh remarked, “We must update the student portal daily, including lesson objectives and homework completion. Imagine teaching six periods, attending meetings, and finding no time to manage these tasks at school. It is common to see teachers on the school bus, laptops open, trying to finish their work. I typically spend about two hours working after school, and during parent-teacher meetings or exams. It can stretch to four or five hours.”

Are teachers stressed?

The situation abroad is not very encouraging, either.

A survey conducted by RAND in 2024 involving around 1,500 teachers in the US indicated high levels of burnout among educators, attributed to managing student behaviour, low salaries, excessive administrative work, lack of support, and staffing shortages.

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In the survey, 60 per cent of school teachers reported high stress levels, while the remainder indicated medium stress.

Back home, staffing shortages are a persistent issue in Indian government schools, with many administrative and clerical positions unfilled. Often, teachers must combine classes and teach subjects outside their qualifications due to these shortages.

Low pay, diminished status

Richa, who transitioned from IT recruiting to teaching for a better work-life balance, questioned her career choice.

“Am I working hard for the right pay? Am I being fair to my family when I come home exhausted?” she wondered. She noted that many around her are struggling with the pressure, especially new teachers.

“This year, the number of students with special needs has increased, and I feel unprepared to handle that, which adds to the stress,” she said. Planning differentiated lessons can be daunting, as teachers must meet diverse student needs simultaneously.

Teacher Harsha said that while her first year as a teacher was challenging, she feels better equipped now.

24x7 availability

Another source of stress for teachers is the expectation to remain available even during sick leave or emergencies. The headmistress of a government school noted, “We’re already short-staffed; managing is difficult when teachers take leave.”

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Parul, an international school teacher, echoed this sentiment, stating, “Other professionals can take leave without concern, but teachers must plan lessons, worksheets, and tasks in advance and hand them over. If I need to take an emergency leave, then I am constantly worrying about my class.”

While government school teachers generally feel they are compensated fairly, international school teachers frequently express dissatisfaction with their pay. Richa remarked, “They charge around 8 lakhs per year for each grade 1 child, which is more than my annual salary — this is ridiculous.”

Undervalued profession

Teaching, once regarded as a respected profession, now seems undervalued by parents, school management, and the community alike. Harsha commented, “No one acknowledges the stress involved in teaching, the emotional labour, and the emotions we carry home after dealing with difficult situations. This is invisible and no one understands.”

Richa added, “In my previous school, teachers were often reprimanded, which is ironic since we are told not to raise our voices with students."

Ganesh said: “I used to be a class teacher for Class 10 in a CBSE school earlier and that is a big responsibility. We have additional pressure to ensure that the CBSE hall tickets (for board exams) reach the students on time, as otherwise they will not get entry.”

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Sometimes teachers run between the CBSE office and school to ensure that these are issued on time. Teachers also go to the exam centres to greet and cheer the students and ring up parents when they are late in arriving at the Centres.

Little time for academics

Teachers from government, private and international schools report high levels of stress, struggling to balance administrative duties with teaching responsibilities. Despite being held accountable for student outcomes, systemic challenges impede their ability to focus on academics.

There is an urgent need for reform to address salaries, working conditions, and staffing shortages to support teachers in their critical roles in education. There is also an urgent need to regulate private and international schools regarding teacher salaries and working conditions.

Private schools should invest in counselling services for teachers and hire staff to handle administrative tasks. In government schools, filling all vacancies is critical.