Jagatsinghpur: At least 359 out of 1,401 sanctioned teacher posts are lying vacant in 151 high schools in Jagatsinghpur district, taking a heavy toll on the studies of scores of students, reports said.
Parents and guardians of the students apprehend serious hindrance to the studies as the next academic year is about to begin.
If timely steps are not taken to fill the vacant posts, the entire high school education system in the district will collapse, said the concerned parents.
The high schools remained closed for about two years in the wake of Covid-19 pandemic. Although online teaching continued during the period, the objective of reaching out to all the students could not be achieved.
Out of 16 Class II headmaster posts in Jagatsinghpur, nine are vacant. Similarly, the district has 135 senior SES headmaster posts out of which 31 posts are vacant.
Likewise, there are 397 posts of teacher for humanities subjects of which 103 are vacant.
Moreover, out of 209 sanctioned PCM posts, 47 are vacant; out of 192 CBZ posts, 47 are vacant; out of 147 Hindi teacher posts, 47 are vacant; out of 150 Sanskrit teacher posts, 45 are vacant; out of 145 PET posts, 26 are vacant and out of 10 Urdu teacher posts, four are vacant, an education department source revealed.
This apart, two clerical and nine peon posts are lying vacant in different high schools, the source added.
Although the state government has engaged more than 200 guest teachers, their tenure has now expired, necessitating fresh appointments.
On being contacted, Jagatsinghpur district education officer (DEO) Niranjan Behera said, “The government will soon take steps to enhance the tenure of guest teachers by extending their contract period.”
PNN