BARGARH: Aggrieved over the shortage of teachers, parents and students locked the gate of a high school transformed under the state government’s 5T initiative in Bargarh’s Bheden block on Friday.
The irate parents also staged an agitation outside Suryamani Janata Government High School. The agitators alleged that though the school was transformed and the infrastructure developed, it is grappling with an acute shortage of teachers for more than a year now.
As there are no Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics teachers, students of Class IX and X are not getting proper guidance in these subjects. Similarly, only two teachers are there for 180 students of Class VI to VIII. While it is difficult to conduct classes regularly due to the dearth of teachers, the situation has aggravated after the school headmaster retired on June 30.
Rajkishore Behera, an agitator, said in the absence of the headmaster, there has been an allegation of mismanagement in the school. “Functioning of the school has been affected in the last 20 days in the absence of the headmaster. One of the basic problems is an irregularity in the distribution of mid-day meals. Some parents of newly-admitted students have raised the issue of delay in distribution of uniforms,” he alleged.
Another agitator said the parents had taken up the issue of teacher shortage with the district administration on several occasions in the past. On July 18, a letter was sent to the district education officer in this regard. The parents had warned to launch a protest if steps were not taken to engage more teachers in the school by July 20. Sources said the school was locked for nearly four hours. The protest was called off after education officials held a discussion with the agitating parents and assured them of the necessary steps.