Darbhanga, Dec. 9: The decision to remove privately hired teachers has apparently brought down the students’ attendance at Mata Sahay Chaudhary Government Middle School at Panda Sarai in the past month.
Following the instructions of block education officer Rudra Pratap Singh, principal Ram Yatan Safi removed eight teachers that he once had appointed on his own salary in mid-October.
The human resource development (HRD) department has taken note of the report published in The Telegraph on October 17 over the illegal appointment of teachers by the principal. The principal was asked to remove the teachers but no alternative arrangement was made.
According to sources, the school has around 650 students on its rolls but only 300 have been attending classes. The school, however, offers education till Class VIII with each class divided into two sections, which require at least 16 teachers but the institution only has six permanent faculty.
Panda Sarai resident Mira Devi said her son, Gautam Kumar, a Class VI student, was reluctant to attend classes. “Whenever we ask him to go to school, he says it is futile, as there are no teachers to take classes.”
Safi said: “There is a shortage of teachers and I had hired private teachers to educate children of nearby localities, including Ramnagar village, Laheri Tola, Panda Sarai, Khaza Sarai and Kharazpur east. If the HRD department allows me to hire teachers, I am ready to pay them from my own salary.”
“With the available resources, it is difficult to fulfil the requirement of teachers at each school. Shortage of teachers is being felt across the state. The education department has directed us to mobilise teachers if required, according to availability,” the district magistrate and collector, R. Laxmanan, told The Telegraph.
Laxmanan added: “We will assess the situation of Mata Sahay Chaudhary Government Middle School and try to do whatever we can. Since the government provision does not allow the principal to hire teachers on his own, he was asked to remove the teachers.”
