: Baburao Himrika, a contractual teacher, who had employed 17 primary school children as labourers in his cotton field in Rayagada district of Odisha, was expelled from his post by the State education department.
According to sources, Rajkishor Sahu, headmaster of the school, was also put under suspension.
Following reports from the district education officer, Rayagada district collector Sashibhusan Padhi had recommended departmental action against both the two erring teachers. Rayagada district child protection officer Ramesh Nayak had also recommended legal action against them, including their arrest.
On January 12, students of Class VI and VII, which included 13 girls of Upper Primary School at Matikana village were rescued from the cotton field of Himrika during a joint raid by authorities of the Child Welfare Committee (CWC), the police and Childline.
The contractual teacher or ‘shikshya sahayak’ Himrika was taking these students from school to his cotton field near Biranarayanpur village in an autorickshaw.
The children were promised wages of 100 rupees per day, while their parents were not aware about it.
According to Mr Nayak, these children had worked in the filed of Himrika for at least three days.
As per the Rayagada district child protection officer, only administrative action would not be sufficient in this case as the erring teacher had dared to use children between 12 and 14 years of age from his school as labourers. Added to this, the headmaster had remained silent. He demanded exemplary legal action against the erring teachers. Mr Nayak has written to the State mass education department requesting the immediate arrest of Himrika.
