District administration, BJD MLA Nabin Nanda and some Block Education Officers (BEOs) are embroiled in a controversy following transfer of primary and ME school teachers violating government norms.
Sources said controversy has dogged Dhenkanal and Hindol education circles after the District-level Transfer Committee issued order for transfer of school teachers in several blocks of the district.
The Committee comprises Collector as chairman, Block Education Officer as convener, BDOs, Zilla Parishad president, MLA, Municipality Executive Officer and MP or his nominee.
Dhenkanal BEO covers schools in three blocks of Sadar, Odapada and Gondia including Municipality. As many as 2,000 teachers are working in Dhenkanal education circle under Sadar BEO.
As per the Right To Education (RTE) norms, there should be one teacher for every 30 students in primary schools and one for every 35 students in the upper primary schools, office of Block education officer stated. Expressing resentment over the committee’s decision, many of the transferred teachers have gone on leave.
A lady Siksha Sahayak in Govindprasad ME school Binapany Mohapatra, who is a cancer patient, has also been transferred to Ostapal, about 10 kms from her place. Her transfer is set to affect the education of 215 students of the school which has only four teachers including Binapany.
The transfer order of these teachers were issued on June 20, almost a month after a notice was issued by the School and Mass Education Department stating that Siksha Sahayaks and Gana Sikshaks should not be disturbed after May 18, 2013.
Students of Balibo primary school in Bhuban have closed their school since Monday protesting against transfer of their Science and English teachers without substitutes. Parents have also supported the move taken by their children.
Kamakshyanagar Sub-collector Narahari Sethy said the transfer order of the teachers was issued as most of them had been working in the same school for over 10 to 12 years.
New teachers would be posted soon to replace them, he added.
However, the teachers alleged that the transfer orders were issued without any survey on long stay of teachers and even guidelines were flouted. They further said the Block Education Officers overlooked many schools in Khajuriakata, Rasol, Baabandh, Kaduamada, Uthali, Brajanathpur and other schools in Hindol where teacher-student ratio is not favourable.
About 100 teachers recently apprised the Collector’s grievance cell of the situation and appealed to reconsider their transfer order which administration refused to respond. They threatened that if the Committee does not roll back its decision, they will move the court.
Despite several contacts, Block Education Officer Dhananjaya Mohapatra could not be contacted. Gondia MLA Nabin Nanda, one of the members of the committee, said if the complaints are genuine, those would be considered after discussing with the Collector.