Post News Network
Tumudibandh, April 29: Even as government norms don’t allow engagement of students in school works, eight students of Saradhapur Project Upper Primary (PUP) School here in Kandhamal district were seen engaged in collecting wood from forest to erect a fence around the school building.
According to the students, the headmaster-in-charge Rabindra Nath Chinara sent them to the forest to collect wood to protect the school building. Students engaged in the act were – Nanda Patamajhi and Rahi Majhi of Class-II, Arun Digal and Tanurya Ghadei of Class-IV, Bhuleswar Majhi and Bapun Digal of Class-VI, and Balaram Pattamajhi and another student of Class-VII.
It was learnt that the government grant for the construction of a boundary wall around the school, received by the school authorities since 2011 is yet to be utilised. When asked despite the availability of funds for boundary wall, what made him engage students to work for the purpose, Chinara avoided the question and said, “Do what you want to do”.
Additional block education officer Ganeswar Nayak said, strong action would be taken after an investigation.
The PUP school is having a student strength of only 29 from class I to VIII. Of the 23 students present Monday, eight were asked to collect wood from a nearby forest to make fencing around the school building.
The guardian of students took strong exception to it saying that extraction of physical labour from the school inmates is a total violation of government rules.
