Post News Network
Rayagada, March 20: Though the government has been trying to improve the quality of education in the state, it is yet to succeed in rationalising the entire system. The norm of one teacher for every 40 students is not being properly followed for which some schools are facing shortage of teachers, while others are having surplus teachers.
A case in point is the Kanadi Primary School in Bissamkatak block of this district. Established in 1974, the school’s student strength has been gradually declining. In the current academic session, only 19 students have enrolled in the school from Classes I to V. Going by the guidelines issued by the school and mass education (S&ME) department, there should be only one teacher in this school. But the administration has appointed four teachers in the school including a headmaster.
Aapudu Himirika is serving as the headmaster while Sunil Kumar Padhi, Pushpa Kandagiri and Rajendra Hikaka are working as assistant teachers. With a surplus of teaching staff, teachers don’t turn up regularly and come for duty in turns, villagers alleged. Besides,
students of all classes are being packed in one room as there is no additional classroom, they said.
The villagers raised questions over the logic behind the appointment of four teachers for 19 students and
expressed displeasure over the shortage of classrooms.
The teachers, however, refuted the allegation that they comes to school in turns.
District project coordinator of Sarva Shikhya Abhiyan, Prashant Padhi, said 12 schools in the district have student strength of less than 20. “This school has 19 students. There are some schools whose student strength is one, two or five. The government is planning to shut down such schools where the student strength is less than 20. After the government takes a decision to this effect, the administration will take the next course of action,” he added.
District education officer Premananda Rout was not available for his comment.