Ranchi, Sept. 4: Education is one field where women make their presence felt and outnumber men.

The dearth of male teachers can be noticed in the city-based schools, which indicates that education is still considered a profession of the fairer sex.

In a survey carried out by The Telegraph, it was found that, in schools, there are twice the number of female teachers than males, while in colleges the strength of male teachers is more than their female counterparts.

The male to female ratio in the city-based colleges is 4:1, while in schools it is 1:8. The ratio of female to male teachers (F:M) varies from school to school.

In Surendranath Centenary School it is 61:7, in Army School the ratio is 52:20, in St Xavier?s School the ratio is 40:12, while in St Anthony?s school the female to male ratio is 40:5.

However, colleges in the city have a different story to share. There are very few colleges in the city which have more female teachers than males. The exceptions being Ranchi Women?s College, Nirmala College and Marwari Girl?s college.

Debjani Roy, a lecturer of Geography department at Nirmala College, was happy that there were no male teachers in the college.

?There are no constraints in carrying out our duty. We feel free to work,? she added.

One of the professors at Ranchi College, A.K. Govil, said more women should qualify for the NET exam.

?Maximum number of women should join the teaching profession in the colleges. There are two reasons why more female teachers should be in the colleges. First, female students in the co-ed education feel secure when they find female teachers around. And secondly, even boys respect female teachers,? he added.

In Marwari Boy?s College, there are about 64 male teachers and approximately 10 female teachers.

While in Marwari Girl?s College, there are 30 female teachers and no male teachers.

Principal of Marwri College Javed Ahmed agrees that there are less female teachers in the city-based colleges.

?I feel that the number of female teachers would increase in the coming years. In the postgraduate department, we find that there are more female teachers. Besides, there is no discrimination between the male and female teachers and both enjoy equal salaries and positions,? he pointed out.

Principal of St Xavier?s School, Father James Lakra, said the institution does not believe in any check-balance system and he mostly prefers those person who are qualified and trained. ?We only look for qualified teachers. And I have found that there is a greater opportunity to get qualified female teachers,? Lakra added.

However, he also pointed out, ?In senior sections, I prefer male teachers for various reasons. In the senior section here, there are 12 male teachers and 13 female teachers. Of course, female teachers are always accepted.?

The principal of Surendranath Centenary School, Samita Sinha, said that though she prefers male teachers for the senior classes, in junior section, female teachers are a priority because they are more affectionate and can interact with children better than males.