post news network
Telkoi, Oct 11: A lone teacher single-handedly managing four classes at a remote primary school in Keonjhar district puts paid to the tall claims made by the government of revamping the primary education sector across the state.
The school in question is the Nilapasi Primary School in Akula panchayat of tribal-dominated Telkoi block, where a severe staff shortage and lack of infrastructure is hampering the education of young children in the area.
As many as 56 students, most of them from the tribal community, are students of Class-1 to Class-IV at the school, but there is only one teacher to teach all of them.
All the students cutting across classes assemble in one room in a dilapidated building due to lack of classrooms. How the students would be imparted quality education is anybody’s guess, say locals. Villagers say little to no teaching is done at the school, which has no benches for children to sit nor proper floors and walls.
Several villagers including the local ward member said they had taken up the issue of teacher shortage with the block education officer (BEO). Following the complaint, the BEO had appointed a cluster resource centre coordinator as a teacher, but he has been keeping himself busy in looking after the building construction of the school while completely neglecting teaching duties, the villagers rued. Puspanjali Behera, the lone teacher, said: “For me there is no option but to teach students of all the four classes in one room, which too is in a very precarious condition.”
BEO Mahendra Kumar Sarnia said the CRCC has been engaged to teach students. “If he neglects his duty, action will be taken against him,” the BEO added.
The villagers demanded immediate steps for a new school building and appointment of necessary teaching staff.
