Teachers stage demo

Basic infrastructure like playgrounds, lavatories and water supply are non-existent in many schools across the district.

There are 306 high schools, including 170 government schools, 32 aided schools, 16 Sanskrit schools, eight Madrasas, two Certified Training Schools (CT) and one Tribal Welfare Residential school (TRW). While over 200 schools are bereft of infrastructure facilities, 100 have no headmasters.

Over 100 school buildings are unsafe with dilapidate roofs and walls and many of them do not have libraries, lavatories and playgrounds. Some schools in Chandbali, Basudevpur, Bhadaripokhari and Tihidi blocks do not have electricity and water supply.  To cap it, there aren’t enough teachers for all the schools.

Protesting all this, teachers under the district unit of Odisha State Teachers Association staged a demonstration on Saturday in front of the district education office (DEO) demanding development of infrastructure, appointment of teachers and other facilities across all schools in the district.

 Pranab Sahoo, president of the association, said around 340 teacher posts are vacant in the district and 100 schools have in-charge headmasters.

The members said the government should abolish block grant system and contractual appointments.

 Admitting to the problems, DEO Satyamohan Senapati said the higher authorities had been informed about the vacancies and lack of infrastructure in schools.