Private teachers fill up for absentee teachers
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, January 16 2018: Apart from shortage e of teachers, absenteeism of available teachers at Sorde Government High School in Kamjong district has compelled the School Management Committee (SMC) and village authority of Shungri (Sorde) Village to hire private teachers to teach students.

Although the school has a total staff strength of six, only two of them are said to be attending the school regularly while the rest of the teachers hardly come with one yet to submit her joining report even after months of posting at the school.

Sorde Government High School which was established as a Government Junior School in 1936 and upgraded to high school in 2001 also lacks infrastructure since a long time.

Private teachers fill up for absentee teachers

Headmaster A Apam informed that the grievances of the school, including the matter of teachers' absenteeism have been witnessed by the authorities concerned like DI and AI when they paid visit at the school for inspection apart from reports/complaints submitted to Education Ministers, DCs, Commissioners and Secretaries concerned for more than 10 times.

Adding that the matter has been highlighted even to the media a few years ago, he lamented that the authority concerned has not so far taken up any action against the irregular teachers apart from sidelining the grievances of the school till date.

Lagging far behind the guidelines given under RTE Act, Sorde Government High School does not have even separate toilets for males and females nor drinking water facilities.

According to the Headmaster even the mid-day-meal scheme is implemented there only for name sake as it was provided for very limited period in a year due to non-release of adequate allocation.

He then maintained that 11 private teachers are being hired from Shungri village and other places to teach the students at the school.

Their salaries are paid from the funds of NREGA and other Government schemes sanctioned for Shungri village as well as by the contributions collected by SMC from individuals.

A computer teacher was also sent to teach computer some years back, however, his honorarium has not been paid for more than two years by the Government, Mapam decried.

Asserting that the SMC has been making its best efforts to fill up the shortages of the school with every possible means, Apam conveyed that the committee received monetary assistance of Rs 25,000 from an individual for the renovation of the school sometime back.

However, it did not go a long way towards the renovation work as the amount it (the SMC) received was limited even after adding a bigger amount from his pocket, Apam said.

When asked what would be the most urgent need to address the grievances of Sorde Government High School, the Headmaster expressed the desire to make frequent surprise visit to the school by sincere authorities concerned so that the real scenario in the school can be witnessed by them to take up appropriate actions and steps.

He also asked the Government to send more teachers tithe school besides constructing a teachers' quarters and separate hostels for boys and girls.

Around 150 students were admitted to the school, last year and the school achieved 100 per cent pass percentage in the last HSLC examination.

This year more than 20 students will appear for the Board examination, he added.