Now, lone teacher manages school of 570

Jeypore: Teaching in Umuri Ashram School here has been badly affected after two teachers including the headmaster were arrested by police Sunday. Headmaster Kailash Chandra Brahma and assistant teacher Sabita Guru were arrested for dereliction of duty in the wake of a class-VI girl delivering a baby in the hostel. Of the 570 students of the school, 300 including 150 girls stay in the hostel. The administration had appointed three teachers. But with the arrest of the two, a lone teacher Ajit Kumar Panda manages the affairs of the school. It has become difficult for Panda to take classes of all students besides managing the hostel and office. Besides, the school is plagued by several other problems. A part of the school’s boundary has been damaged. Due to this, the school has become unsafe for students with the fear of bears and other wild animals sneak into the premises looming large. Moreover, the school has only four classrooms to accommodate students from class-I to class-VII. The school also lacks better drinking water and sanitation facilities. Though the school is situated just four kilometres away from Jeypore town, the administration has so far not taken any significant step to develop its infrastructure, sources said. PNN