Kankadahad: Journalists have been barred from entering schools in Kankadahad block of Dhenkanal district without permission from the authorities concerned. A directive in this regard has been issued to all the school headmasters by Kankadahad Block Education Officer (BEO). The move comes in the wake of the recent incident where lot of students and other teachers fumbled when they were asked basic questions by some reporters. The BEO’s letter reads: “Regret that some of the media people enter in classrooms and school premises without taking permission from the authority.
Mediapersons holding camera are entering in the school and asking different questions to students and teachers with a view to humiliating them and some TV channels are airing those videos. It is not ethical and permissible. Hence the headmasters are directed not to allow any mediaperson into the school campus or classroom.” “If such activities are done by the cameraman or mediapersons without permission, the school headmaster should report it to the police and lodge a complaint against the erring scribes immediately,” the letter further read. Similarly, FIR will be lodged against the concerned school’s headmaster and teachers if there is any deviation in the directive, the letter added.
Meanwhile, School and Mass Education Minister Samir Ranjan Das said, “I request media representatives of various channels to cooperate and not overinterfere in such matters. This is a local matter.”