Lone teacher rarely attends school

PATNAGARH(BALANGIR): The last time the students had seen the only teacher posted in their school was on March 16. After that there was no sign of him. Neither the students nor the villagers know when he would appear next. He was here to conduct examinations last month. A major part of the 90-odd students of primary school in Dhaurakhaman village under Bagdor panchayat of Belpada block attend school as a ritual with a hope to see their teacher and learn some lessons. The main school, however, remains under lock and key in the absence of a teacher. The students attending school wait in the verandah for the teacher, only to return home dejected at the end of the day.  Established in 1974, the school caters to the children of the village. Studies in the school continue to be neglected though all care has been taken to maintain the structure. The coat of paint is still fresh and a clock, painted at the entrance, indicates the school opening time, 10 am. A toll free no. 18003456722 of the School and Mass Education Department in bold letters is seen on the wall. So much for the structure but none for education, said a villager.Alekh Majhi of the village said their children had forgotten the little they had learnt as the teacher comes to school for a day or two in a month. The vacancy in teaching post remains even after the villagers apprised of the school’s condition to the Minister and the District Collector. Apart from stopping his salary for sometime, no visible action has been taken. School Managing Committee president Tumi Majhi said there was no point in stopping salary as it hardly helps the students. The Government should ensure that the teacher comes to school regularly and more are posted. Majhi said he had taken up the matter with the Block Resource Centre Coordinator and the Cluster Resource Centre Coordinator but to no avail.  Patnagarh District Inspector of Schools Sushanta Kumar Chopdar said the salary of the erring teacher had been stopped after receiving complaints. He, however, denied receiving any complaint against the teacher for dereliction of duty. However, he promised to initiate stern action against the teacher.