Gojran lidroo (Anantnag): Authorities might be claiming that education remains their priority but a government run primary school in Gojran lidroo village of zone Aishmuqam in Anantnag district presents a grim picture of the education sector.
The school has only one teacher for 60 students studying in six different classes.
The school was established in 2008 under a centrally sponsored scheme. The purpose of setting up school in the habitation dominated by the Gujjar population was to attract the children from the downtrodden community towards education. A local teacher who qualified the eligibility criteria was engaged in the school.
In 2010 as the student roll increased, one more teacher was engaged to teach the students.
However, locals residents said, since July last year , only one teacher is there to teach 60 students.
“Though two teachers were there till last year but after the sudden death of one of them due to cardiac arrest a single female teacher has been teaching 60 students of six classes. This is not injustice with the teacher but the poor students as well,” local residents complained.
A local , Abdul Hamid said that the authorities seem to be ignoring the schools located in far flung areas.
“How can you expect quality education when you have a single teacher for six classes. One wonders if she can run the administrative affairs of the school or academic affairs,” Hamid said.
Interestingly the village is the native place of the recently elected DDC chairman, Mohammad Yusuf Gorsi.
“This is the scenario of education in DDC chairman’s village. He should have on priority solved this issue soon after assuming the charge but unfortunately nothing happened,” said another resident.
Many schools in the lower belt of the zone, according to official sources, have more staff and less roll while as the education in far flung schools of the zone suffer due to severe staff crunch.
“Teachers from lower belt are hesitant to perform duties in far flung areas of the zone. Whenever teachers are deputed to such schools by the officers at local level, they manage to get their transfers of deployments cancelled using their political connections,” official sources said.
The school, according to residents, has only two class rooms for six classes.
“The school has three roomed school building. One of the rooms is being used as office and students of six classes are taught in just two rooms,” another local , Abdul Rashid said.
An officer requesting anonymity said that there is a severe staff shortage in the schools of the zone particularly in remote areas.
“We have deputed one more teacher to the said school soon after the locals put up a representation complaining about staff shortage. But i dont know weather the teacher has joined in the school or not,” the officer said.
DDC chairman, M Y Gorsi had told reporters on Tuesday that he had already taken up the issue of staff shortage in far off schools of the district with the deputy commissioner few days ago.
