A textbook in Santhali. Picture by Pankaj Singh

Bokaro, Nov. 5: Absence of teachers has come a cropper for the education department’s ambitious plan to promote Santhali in state-run schools.

The Santhali language was included in the primary education syllabus in 2007, but the government has failed to appoint a single teacher for the language in Bokaro district till date. District education officer Arvind Kumar Jha admitted that there are no Santhali teachers in secondary schools.

Under the Sarva Shiksha Aviyan, recently, more than 39,000 Santhali textbooks were also printed and distributed for free among 511 schools of the district. But these are of no use because most students do not know how to read them.

Insiders in the department pointed out that even if the recruitment process started today, it would be six months before the teachers take charge.

Till date, more than 95,000 copies of Santhali books have been printed and reprinted as mentioned and several lakhs have been spent on doing so.

The books have been published for Classes I to V, district superintendent of education Shiv Shanker Sah said, adding that it was the responsibility of the education director to appoint teachers.

State human resource development minister Bandhu Tirkey admitted “shortage of Santhali teachers”, but said he had asked the district education officer to make immediate arrangements of para teachers to overcome the crisis. These teachers would, initially, be appointed on a contract basis, Tirkey said.