JAGATSINGHPUR: Two teachers of a school in Biridi block, one visually challenged and another physically with a fractured hand, who had appealed to the school authorities to be excused from poll duty, have been issued a show cause notice for not attending a training programme. The two teachers have now urged the district adminstration to relieve them from election duty citing inability to function under pressing circumstances.
Puspalata Swain, an assistant teacher at Nalini Devi Government Nodal High School, and Rebati Mallick, another assistant teacher at the same school, find themselves in a difficult situation. Swain, visually impaired, and Mallick, with a fractured hand, had requested to be excused from election duty on health grounds. Accordingly they did not attend the training programme scheduled on March 17 and 18.
However, their pleas were allegedly ignored though the headmaster of the school Ambika Mohanty, had sent their requests to the authorities concerned. Their cases were overlooked and both received show cause notices, he said.
Biridi block education officer Saudamini Mohapatra explained that show cause notices were issued to individuals as per the direction of the returning officer. She acknowledged that there may have been oversight due to the large number of teachers’ names submitted to the administration.
In addition, there has been negligence on the part of the administration in renovating the merged schools designated as polling stations. For instance, the Primary School at Jasobantpur, identified as polling booth 107, has been merged with the local Jhinkdi Primary School for the past two to three years.
However, the building remains unused and dilapidated, lacking essential electricity, toilet, drinking, ramp and other facilities, causing concern among voters about casting their votes in the upcoming elections.
Abhimanyu Samal, the sarpanch of Jasobantpur panchayat, assured that steps would be taken to renovate the school before the elections, as directed by block officials.