Upbhokta Jagran Manch members stage a dharna demanding more teachers in government schools and colleges in Patna on Friday. Picture by Nagendra Kumar Singh

Patna, June 17: Members of Upbhokta Jagran Manch staged a dharna at Kargil Chowk today protesting against lack of teachers and mismanagement of resources at the government schools and colleges.

Social activist and member of Upbhokta Jagran Manch Avinash Kumar said: “We have visited various government schools and colleges and found that the teachers are not qualified enough. As a result, the standard of education is deteriorating and affecting the future of students.”

He said the government teachers were often loaded with extra work like conducting polio surveys and making BPL cards.

Kumar said: “If the teachers are involved in this kind of work, they will not be able to concentrate on teaching. We do not want the government to involve them in such activities.”

Talking about the midday meal scheme, he alleged that the food does not reach the children as employees of schools sell them at local market.

He said: “We want students with an attendance of 75 per cent to be given money as they do not get the midday meal.”

The protestors also demanded the government to check the qualification of teachers thoroughly before appointing them. They also alleged that teachers who are educated do not come regularly, exams are held but most of the time the syllabus remains incomplete.

The Upbhokta Jagran Manch had given copies of their demands to the chief minister and human resource development department on May 16. But no attention was allegedly paid to them.

Kumar said: “If the government does not listen to our plea, we will sit on a daylong fast on July 3. If our demands are not met with, we will assemble more than 1,000 people and go on a fast from the last week of August.”