Assam: Bokakhat school faces teacher shortage, locals appoint teachers

Locals in Tamulipathar, protest over teacher shortages at a government school, saying residents have been forced to fund and appoint teachers.

A CORRESPONDENT

BOKAKHAT: Locals staged an open protest on Thursday at Tamulipathar in Bokakhat, highlighting what they described as the poor condition of the state's education system despite the government's frequent claims of bringing about a major transformation in education.

The residents said that teachers should be appointed by the government in government schools, but in Tamulipathar, local people have been forced to raise funds and appoint teachers to provide education to economically disadvantaged students.

The residents have appointed two educated local women, Sumitra Bora and Sumi Bora, as teachers by contributing Rs 50 per month per student.

The protestors alleged that the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) has brought the deteriorating condition of Assam's education sector into the public domain, prompting people to come out openly and challenge the government. They pointed out that at a government school located barely one kilometre from the World Heritage Site Kaziranga National Park, locals have had to collect donations to appoint teachers because of the shortage of government-appointed teachers.

They alleged that despite advertisements worth lakhs of rupees claiming rapid improvement in the state's education system, the condition of government schools in Kaziranga and other parts of the state remains deplorable under the leadership of Chief Minister Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma.

Headmaster Premdhar Bora said that there are 19 students in Class VI, 10 in Class VII, and 14 in Class VIII. He said that the school previously had a much larger number of students, but many parents have admitted their children to other schools in Bokakhat because of the shortage of teachers.

The headmaster also said that an application had been submitted seeking a permanent boundary wall for the school premises, but the facility has not yet been provided.

The field investigation also revealed the poor condition of the school building, including its toilet facilities, campus, and doors and windows.

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