Assam: Former MLA Raju Sahu laments poor state of tea garden model schools

OUR CORRESPONDENT

TINSUKIA: The tea garden model schools, which were established by the government in 2021 to bring holistic changes among tea garden workers and children, now stand in deplorable conditions virtually without any permanent teacher while dropout rates figure high in these schools, alleged Raju Sahu, former Chabua MLA.

In a statement to the press today, Sahu alleged that in almost all 116 tea garden model schools, though equipped with amenities, teachers from nearby provincialized schools were either attached or transferred who also serve as peon, chowkidar, and office clerks in absence of any recruitment even as there are qualified teachers from the tea garden community whose services were not regularized in the provincialized schools. Citing an example, Sahu contended that in Nokrai TE School, Bina Kurmi, despite having DLAT, TET, and Central TET with PG degree in Assamese, has been denied regularization. She has moved from pillar to post from the Assistant Labour Commissioner to the District Commissioner but to no avail. Same is the case with Rabindra Gorai of the same school, Sahu alleged. He regretted that most of the Tea Garden ME Schools are yet to be provincialized while teachers of these schools have been serving with Rs 250 as daily wage employees under the garden management.

Sahu stated that most of the assurances made by Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma towards a better future of the tea community, like daily wage of Rs 351, 200 units free electricity, allotment of land patta, granting of ST status within 100 days have been lost into the blue.

Sahu demanded that the Government must fulfil all the commitments for the overall upliftment of the tea community. He desired the Government to ensure quality education in tea gardens as envisaged in the vision of the Government of Assam.

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