Secondary School Teachers IN recent years there has been a hue and cry about the declining efficiency of the teaching profession to which is attributed, not infrequently, the failure of the educational system. Apparently content with sweeping generalizations on the ^quality' aspect, educationists proceeded, strangely enough, to study problems of static syllabi, text books and examinations, deliberately precluding the ^ability" factor from the range of discussion. Proficiency of teachers is determined by a multiplicity of factors of which their living conditions constitute the most crucial. They are forced to put up with a low socio-economic standing and any improvement in the field of education will be meaningless unless there is an intensive and continuous effort to raise their economic, social and professional status. Almost all inquiries into the field of education, in particular the Education Commission under the chairmanship of D S Kothari,1 expressed concern abjut the teachers9 unhappy situation. The Commission pleaded for adequate remuneration, opportunities for professional advancement and favourable conditions of work. The Commission has given a detailed account of the inhuman treatment meted out to teachers by both governmental and non-governmental agencies in the form of low wages, job insecurity and other socio-economic hardships. No serious attempt was made to study comprehensively teachers5 salaries^ qualifications, experience, tenure of service and work load. Attention was confined to such aspects as distribution of trained and untrained staffer science teachers^ qualifications.2 A possible exception was a study, undertaken by the Survey Unit of the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NGERT), called "Intensive Study of Blocks5.8 But even this analysis was limited to the development of education in four blocks; teachers and their socio-economic position received only a passing reference in the report. Sample Survey More recently the NCERT conducted a comprehensive sample survey4 of secondary school teachers in order to identify decision-making priorities for educational planners and administrators. It collected data,