School without teacher closed since March 1 - Students come only to return home

Children at the Debinagar school on Wednesday. (Nantu Dey)

TT, Raiganj, March 7: A primary school here where about 100 boys and girls study has been shut since March 1 because there are no teachers.

Although students come to Uttar Debinagar Government Free Primary School everyday before 11am, when classes are supposed to begin, they return home as the building gate is locked.

The school in ward 23 of Raiganj municipality was established in 1952 and has Classes from I to IV.

“Our school has been shut since March 1. There were four teachers here but we have not seen any of them since March 1. We do not know why. We have been coming to school and returning home,” said Class III student Anjana Basfor.

Sources at the district primary school council said there used to be four teachers in the school. “One retired on February 28. Two others were transferred elsewhere the same day. There was a physically-challenged teacher who had requested for an office job. He was also transferred on February 28,” said a source. Today, one teacher joined the Debinagar school but no classes were held and the few students who had assembled at the school returned home.

Jharna Roy, whose daughter is in Class IV, said the district primary school council was responsible for the situation. “The DPSC is playing with the future of our children. It should immediately appoint teachers for the school. We have informed the councillor and will organise a road blockade if teachers are not sent to the school,” she said.

Local Congress councillor Ashim Adhikary said he had informed the DPSC that there would be no teachers at the school from March 1. “But they did nothing. I have informed them again,” he said.

Shekhar Roy, DPSC chairman, said: “We are trying to send teachers as fast as possible. Since the elections have been announced, no new orders would be issued by the state.”

District inspector of schools (primary), Subal Kumar Sahu, said: “We are trying to get teachers as fast as possible.”