600 Tribal Children, No Teacher For 4 Months: Villagers Protest At Chhotaudepur School

Around 600 tribal students at a primary school in Kwant taluka have been without a teacher for four months, prompting villagers to protest over disrupted education.

School Running From Farmer's House

The primary school at Rajba Phalia in Aartiya village of Chhotaudepur district caters to students from Classes 1 to 5. However, its own building has been lying in a dilapidated condition, forcing the school to operate from a local farmer's house for the past four years.

According to villagers, no teacher has been present at the school since before the monsoon and summer vacation.

Finally, frustrated villagers and local youths gathered at the school, raised slogans of “Give us a teacher” and voiced their anger against the administration.

Mid-Day Meal Worker Teaching Students

With no teacher available, children arriving at the school are reportedly taught basic lessons by the mid-day meal administrator. They are then served lunch before being sent home.

The arrangement has raised concerns among villagers over the quality and continuity of education being provided to tribal children.

Villagers Question Online Attendance

Villagers also questioned how the teacher's online attendance has allegedly been recorded despite the teacher's absence from the school for months.

They have demanded an impartial inquiry into the attendance records and alleged irregularities in the system.

Fed up with the situation, villagers and local youths gathered at the school and raised slogans demanding a teacher. They also expressed anger over the administration's failure to resolve the issue despite repeated representations at the taluka and district levels.

Taluka Education Officer Responds

The Taluka Education Officer said a notice had earlier been issued to the concerned teacher over absenteeism. The officer also said that a personal visit to the school was conducted on July 20.

Villagers are now demanding strict action against those responsible and the immediate appointment of a permanent teacher so that the education of tribal children can resume properly.