Lone teacher for 150 in Mansa govt school

Nikhila Pant Dhawan

Tribune News Service

Mansa, September 19

A Hindi teacher is all that a government high school here now has in the name of teaching staff.

Located in Adamke village of Sardulgarh in Mansa district, the school has 150 students in Classes VI to X. The only other teacher, who teaches Punjabi, recently received her transfer orders, but is yet to be relieved.

All posts of Class IV employees are also lying vacant in the school.

“Till July last, the school was functioning properly and had enough staff. Almost all staff members used to travel long distances to reach the school. While some got their transfers approved, those working on contractual basis quit the job. The district education department then sent teachers on deputation basis for seven days each but that has also ended now,” said a former staff member of the school.

Villagers and parents of the students had recently launched a protest against the Education Department and locked the main gate of the school as a part of their protest.

They were demanding more teachers for the school to cater to the requirements of the students.

Member of the village panchayat Ram Singh said it was a pity that the government was not serious about increasing the standard of education in government schools. Villagers Joginder Singh and Janak Singh said, “Till recently there were two teachers in the school. One of them has now been transferred to some other school and soon only one teacher will be left for 150 students. How can a single teacher teach students of all classes?”

In the absence of in-charge, clerical staff and Class IV employees, the teachers are left to handle the classes as well as non-teaching work of the school, which was opened under the Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyaan.

As per the records of the Education Department, there are 14 sanctioned posts for teacher in the school, but only one teacher is posted. DEO (elementary) Kulbhushan Bajwa, who also has the charge of DEO (secondary), said, “There is shortage of teaching staff in government schools in Mansa. The district education department has already written to the state education department pertaining to shortage of staff and soon the posts will be filled. To help the students, I have posted some EGS volunteers in the school.”