Keonjhar: Secondary education in Keonjhar district is in pathetic shape with 654 posts of teachers lying vacant in 208 government schools in the district.
This is despite the fact that over 100 government high schools have been transformed and equipped with better infrastructure and facilities under the 5T Initiative in the district.
As a result, classroom teaching has been badly affected in these schools due to lack of adequate number of teachers. This has given rise to serious concerns among the students at a time when the annual HSC examination is just months away.
Classroom teaching has fallen flat in Nayagarh Nodal High School under Jhumpura block as the school does not have even a single teacher. Surprisingly, primary school teachers are teaching the high school students here.
Recently, the state government announced 15 per cent reservation for students of government high schools in engineering and medical courses.
However, guardians now question why they should send their children to these schools where several posts of teachers are lying vacant.
In some cases, it has been found that Sanskrit teachers are teaching science to the students, while physical education teachers teach history, geography, mathematics and Hindi.
In Mochibandh Government High School, the sports teacher was found teaching history and geography to the students.
According to reports, as many 654 posts of teachers, including 49 posts of headmaster, 73 posts of science (PCM), 75 posts of science (CBZ), 151 posts of art teachers, 17 posts of IACT teachers, 17 posts of trained CT teachers, 78 posts of Sanskrit teachers, 114 posts of Hindi teachers and 80 posts of PETs are lying vacant in various schools in the district.
The high schools in the district currently have only 1,094 teachers against 1,748 sanctioned posts. Similarly, 103 posts of clerk are lying vacant against 202 sanctioned posts.
The district has only 99 clerks working in these high schools. Over 245 posts of peon are lying vacant in the schools against the 461 sanctioned posts.
Against the 197 sanctioned posts of night watchman and sanitary workers, 89 are lying vacant.
PNN
