Members of the School Development and Monitoring Committee (SDMC) and parents of students of Government Higher Primary School, Kodi-Bengre village, near Malpe in Udupi, held a demonstration against the shortage of teachers at the school on Tuesday in Udupi.
Assembling in front of the District Institute for Education and Training (DIET) on the Government PU College for Girls premises, where the counselling process for transfer of excess teachers in the district was being conducted, people demanded immediate appointment of a headmaster for the school.
SDMC member Manohar Kundar told officials that when the school was on the verge of being closed with just 21 students a couple of years ago, like-minded people in the locality got their wards admitted at the Kodi-Bengre school. On one hand, the initiative was to save the school from closure and on the other, to provide education to their wards in the nearby school. The student strength has increased to 72 now.
However, the government that had promised to appoint a headmaster/madam to the school a year ago, has now transferred one teacher among the existing four, lamented SDMC president Ravindra Shriyan.
Another member Ramesh Thingalaya said admissions would increase only if the adequate number of teachers were appointed in the school. If the administration does not appoint the required number of teachers to the Kodi-Bengre school, residents would close down the school, for which the district administration would solely be responsible, he said.
Deputy Director of Public Instructions K. Ganapathi reportedly told the members the rules made at the State level could not be changed at the district level, though the department was aware of the issue.
The counselling process has temporarily been halted following government direction, he added.
COMMents
SHARE