A junior high school in the Nazat area of Sandeshkhali in North 24-Parganas is on the brink of closure as the lone teacher on the school’s rolls, engaged as a “guest teacher” following his retirement, is set to relinquish his charge on August 31 as his term will expire.
The Madhya Baunia Jatindra Adarsha Junior High School has three sanctioned posts for assistant teachers. But since its inception in 2017, the district administration could not appoint any regular teacher.
Because of this, most parents have withdrawn their wards over the past two years. With no signs of appointment of a teacher at the school, local residents fear that this institution built at a cost Rs 8 lakh will be shut down soon and existing wards — less than 40 — have to commute more than 3km away to the next nearest school.
“Over the past five years, no regular teacher has been appointed and it doesn't look like anyone will be soon. Sheer apathy," a local resident in Madhya Baunia said.
For the last five years, guest teacher Kanai Mondal, 65, has been teaching Classes VI, VII and VII irrespective of subject.
Guest teacher Kanai Mondal The Telegraph
Mondal, a geography teacher during his service years, says he found it difficult to teach science, but eventually worked a way out by engaging a local unemployed youth.
“There has been a major change in the syllabi of science subjects. So I thought it would be unfair to compromise the learning of my students with my limitations in those subjects. I hired an educated, unemployed youth from the locality a few years ago and have since been paying him Rs.1 ,000 from my honorarium,” Mondal said.
“This is a very backward area…. Most students are from poor farming communities. If we don't teach them all subjects, it will be tough for them as their parents can’t afford private tutors,” Mondal said.
He added: “I feel pained to leave them. But there is no other way. It’s a rule and I have become older. I can no longer undertake the regular journey first by boat to cross the Vidyadhari river and then 2km on motorcycle.”
Sources at the Sandeshkhali block administration said that the Baunia Jatindra Adarsha Junior High School was granted approval in 2012. The state government accorded financial grant to make it functional from January 1, 2013. The construction of the school building began with central funds. The school was reportedly a longstanding demand of residents owing to their relatively remote geographical location. Local administration sources said they issued advertisements for a teacher. “But no one applied. Eventually, Kanai Mondal, who once took interest in setting up the school, was asked to work as guest teacher after he retired from his original assignment in 2017,” said a source.
“Every week I visited the SI, DI office(s) to request the posting of a teacher," Mondal said, adding .
However, sources in Bikash Bhawan said that the matter had come to the notice of the education minister after a BJP leader raised the issue on social media. A report has been sought.
SI Jiaur Rahanan told The Telegraph: “An officer called me and took down details of the school.... I also visited Bikash Bhavan on Thursday and narrated the situation the school has been facing.”
As a temporary arrangement, the local administration has decided to engage a regular teacher from a nearby school as a replacement for Kanai Mondal.
