TEZPUR, Oct 4 - Though the Education department of the State has been taking up a number of measures besides conducting special evaluation programmes like Gunotsav over the last couple of years to bring a change about in the government sector schools, there is a number of Bodo medium schools in Sonitpur district where infrastructure as well as adequate appointment of teachers and other required facilities are still a far cry.
According to a report available with this correspondent, there are altogether 112 Bodo medium schools in Sonitpur district which have been facing severe shortage of infrastructure as well as teachers due to the apathetic attitude of the government. It�s not only severe shortage of teachers, but the schools also lack the much-needed facilities like desks and benches, buildings and an unhygienic atmosphere prevails inside these schools. It is tragic that even in the 21st century, safe drinking water, toilet facility, well-equipped classrooms, teaching-learning materials (TLM), playing aids, library, kitchen room for the mid-day meal etc., are still a dream in Bodo medium schools, particularly at the elementary level and in some venture schools of ME and high section.
Expressing serious concern over the poor state of the Bodo medium schools in the State, education secretary of the All Bodo Students� Union (ABSU), Kastom Basumatary stated that most of the Bodo medium schools have been running with a single teacher since new teachers have not been recruited. �Moreover, many Bodo-medium schools were accommodated with a single teacher and non-recruitment of new teachers has left the students high and dry. We have been trying to draw the attention of the State government�s Education department towards this serious issue with the demand of conducting separate TET examination for the Bodo medium schools,� he said and added it is very unfortunate that Bodo medium schools are always deprived of adequate supply of free textbooks.
Basumatary further stated that many of the Bodo medium schools in the State have been closed down due to the non-appointment of sufficient teachers. Moreover, after visiting the villages in Sonitpur district during the week-long foot march programme by Sonitpur district ABSU, Basumatary felt that besides other parts of the State, Sonitpur too witnessed a very pitiable scenario in the Bodo medium schools. For him, until and unless such issues are addressed properly, there is no meaning of conducting Gunotsav in these schools.
Though the State Education department had tried to convert many �bad shaped� schools into EGS centres or government LP schools taking 2011-12 as the base year, the infrastructure of many such Bodo medium LP schools is yet to be upgraded due to the lackadaisical attitude of the department concerned.
