Government cracks whip on truant teachers

BHUBANESWAR: The School and Mass Education Department has cracked down on teachers drawing salary without work and using proxies. On Wednesday, two teachers who were drawing salary without taking classes were dismissed from service while others have been suspended.In one case, Namitalata Panda, a teacher of Raghunathpur Nodal UP School in Cuttack’s Raghunathpur, had proceeded on leave from September 2010 to March 2011 without submitting the application. In her place, one Ramesh Chandra Rout was taking classes and even drawing a remuneration of Rs 1,000 a month.When the matter came to the notice of the Department, Secretary Aparajita Sarangi ordered a departmental inquiry. After Rout admitted to the arrangement, the Department asked Cuttack Circle to dismiss Panda from service while the headmaster of the school has been suspended. The Circle Inspector too has been served a showcause.In another incident, Tripura Pradhan, had been transferred and posted  as a sikhya sahayak at Khairapali Upper Primary School in Deogarh’s  Riamal block from 2009. Bizarre as it may sound, she was working in a high school at Para village during the same time as assistant teacher.Investigation revealed that Pradhan was interested in the high school which was due for receipt of grant-in-aid. Once that came through, she resigned from Khairapalli school. The Department ordered her dismissal  and slapped a showcause on the high school asking the headmaster to explain why its grant-in-aid should not be stopped. Departmental  proceedings have also been ordered against the headmaster for allowing such a practice.The Department which has been tracking activities through its helpline  also found that Somnath Joshi, an assistant teacher of a primary school in Mirigiti under Bheden block of Bargarh, has been irregular to the classes for the last 10 years.In fact, he had appointed a proxy for his job and  went about his contractor business.During investigation, it was found that he had furnished false resident certificate. Joshi has also been suspended.