RAYAGADA: URBAN areas in tribal-dominated Rayagada district have more teachers in State-run primary and upper primary schools than their rural counterparts. The acute shortage of teachers has reflected on the enrolment and severely hampered education.
The situation has worsened in the last two years with most teachers preferring schools in urban areas due to lack of communication and basic amenities in rural areas of the district. The last transfers were effected in 2014 and since then several teachers are yet to join their area of posting.
With the district-level transfer committee failing to conduct a meeting in the last two years to review the teacher-student ratio, the teachers continue to flout the transfer norms. As per norms, the committee should meet annually.
According to sources in the District Education Office (DEO), as many as 435 schools in the district have 638 surplus teachers while 1286 teachers are yet to join their posting and 779 schools are running short of faculty. On the other hand, about 410 schools in rural areas are managing with a single teacher with Chandrapur and Kashipur blocks being the worst affected.
The violation of the student-teacher ratio of 30:1, has reflected on the student enrolment.
The officials in DEO and Sarva Sikhya Abhiyan offices have identified 100 schools where enrolment during the current academic year is 10 or less than 10. The enrolment stands at 49,167 students in 1427 primary schools and 65,378 in 641 upper primary schools.
District Education Officer Premananda Rout, who is aware of the surplus number of teachers in urban areas, said permission has been sought from the Collector for a meeting and her reply is awaited.
Regarding closure of 100 schools in the district and surplus teachers, Collector Guha Punam Tapas Kumar said steps will be taken to maintain a balance in the teacher-student ratio in schools under School and Mass Education Department.
District BJP president Siba Sankar Ulaka alleged that most schools in rural areas run with ghost students and dummy tutors are engaged in several other schools with a meagre payment by Government-appointed teachers.
District Congress Committee (DCC) president Durga Prasad Panda said the Collector must explore the ground reality and take steps to revamp the system.
At a Zilla Parishad meeting held recently, elected representatives had asked the DEO and District Project Coordinator of Sarva Sikhya Abhiyan to disengage the 46 Sikhya Sahayaks who remained absent unauthorisedly and accordingly sought reports from Block Education Officers. Except Padmapur block, remaining 10 blocks are yet to submit their response.
