Paralakhemundi: In a bizarre incident, the sarpanch of a remote gram panchayat in Gajapati district locked up a school in protest against the alleged negligence of teachers in conducting education in schools across the panchayat, near the Odisha-Andhra border.
The incident occurred at a school in Sardiga village Monday. When Gangabada sarpanch Haribandhu Karji visited the school, located atop a hill, he was surprised to find that a teacher had locked the classroom and sent students back home by 8:30 am. When he questioned some students, he received no clear responses.
In protest against such negligence, the sarpanch put another lock on the school gate before returning. He also warned of an agitation on behalf of the panchayat if the state government and district administration failed to act, and take the errant teachers to task, Karji said.
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Alarmed by reports that teachers at several schools in Champapur, Manikapatna, and Sagadia villages under the Gangabada panchayat have allegedly been neglecting their duties, Karji earlier visited multiple schools in the area Monday and taught the students in their classes as a mark of protest.
Karji said that many teachers have not been attending the schools regularly. Even when present, they spend time in offi ce rooms instead of teaching the students.
At the Champapur school, Karji reportedly found children playing outside and brought them back to the classroom to study. Shockingly, teachers were unaware of this until nearly half an hour of Karji’s arrival in the school. It is worth mentioning here that while the state government continues to emphasise the promotion of Odia language, and improving educational standards in border regions, the ground reality tells a different story.
According to reports, education system in the remote areas of Gajapati district, particularly near the Andhra Pradesh border, remains awfully weak. It is alleged that schools in border areas lie in a neglected state as teachers often skip duty and don’t impart education to children even though they regularly attend school.
Efforts by the Andhra Pradesh government to assimilate residents of these fringe areas into its fold are ongoing. By establishing Anganwadi centers in Odisha villages near the border and distributing ration supplies, Andhra is reportedly enticing residents to switch their allegiance, reports said.
PNN
