UMERKOTE: About 195 newly-appointed junior teachers have failed to report for duty in Nabarangpur district despite receiving engagement letters from Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi.
As demand for district specific recruitment gathers momentum in south Odisha, villagers and members of district joint action committee locked up the schools and prevented the teachers’ joining across the district.
The protesters warned the school headmasters to intensify their protest if teachers hailing from other districts join duty in the schools of their postings. As a result, 195 teachers failed to report for duty where they have been given postings.
The appointed junior teachers arriving to join their respective schools were opposed by the villagers in Dangara, Biriguda, Laharakani and Gopiguda villages in Papdahandi while similar scenes were witnessed in Jharigaon block where 44 teachers were barred from joining their duty. Around 29 teachers in Dabugaon and 30 teachers in Chandahandi blocks were also prevented from joining work.
Interestingly, CM Majhi had presented the engagement orders to the junior teacher (schematic) at Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar on Saturday.
Around 738 candidates have been appointed in the district and were directed to report the concerned schools between October 7 and 21.
With the protest not relenting, Nabarangpur collector has issued a direction to SP to prevent any untoward situations during the joining process.