Plight of education: 162 single teacher schools in North Lakhimpur

By our Staff Reporter

Lakhimpur, August 21: The situation of single teacher schools in North Lakhimpur district is outrageous even after formation of the saffron government. Both the Centre and State Government are to be blamed for such a situation, not only in the district but also in the whole country.

Multi-grade teaching, lack of proper attendance of students and teacher absenteeism have severely affected the education of the students. All Assam Tribal Students’ Union (AATSU) has brought alleged existence of 162 single teacher schools in North Lakhimpur district itself.

“There are many single teacher schools in North Lakhimpur district and these schools do not exist in the government records as there is a rumour that the authorities concerned doctor the records which are submitted to the government. According to a Right to Information report, there are approximately 162 schools where a single teacher teaches around 80 to 100 students for an hour. This way the students will suffer.  We have demanded the district administration to pass strict orders in regard to the implementation of Right To Education Act, 2010 effectively and take immediate action against all those authorities who have been doctoring the records and are involved in bribery and corruption for posting teachers from remote villages to town areas,” Nirmal Payang, central president of AATSU, told The Sentinel.

All these single teacher schools are government-run schools. The district administration can easily solve this single teacher school problem but neither the State Government nor the district administration is bothered. The sufferers are those children who dream of good education. Many a times it can be seen that due to presence of a single teacher each grade gets hardly 45 minutes of class sessions and after that they have to go back home. Many times the only teacher remains absent and the whole school remains shut down.

“The vacancies for the post of teacher in the remote village schools are wrongly maintained and bribes are taken for a transfer to a developed or town area. The data maintained by the authorities concerned do not match with the government records. There are also cases like many teachers mes were shown in certain schools but when an individual visits that particular school, one will find that there is not any teacher with such me. Therefore we have demanded the district administration to resolve this issue within a short period of time or else our union will be forced to take steps like protest or gherao in front of the district administration office,” bajyoti Taku, in-charge president of AATSU district committee said.

Further, a student of Class VIII said that they have classes only for two to three hours a day. All the subjects are taught by the same teacher. Sometimes, the school remains closed for many days and often they play around as their teacher remains absent.

Harish Dey, a parent, said that there are many vacant posts for the teachers but a single teacher has to teach all the classes. Therefore, he had to move his child to a private school which is expensive for him as a small-time businessman.

He further lamented that the government can easily solve the issue of single teacher schools but due to lack of concern, the issue still exists and the students continue to suffer.