Kesinga: Tension gripped at Mashanibandh Jawahar High School at Balsi(A) village under Kesinga block in Kalahandi district as villagers, parents and school managing committee members staged a sit-in at the school gate, Sunday.
They locked the school gate and staged a protest demanding the transfer of the headmaster.
The agitating parents alleged that Banshidhar Rout, the headmaster of the institution, had collected Rs 400 from Class X students as a fee for form fill-up. But the State government has waived off the form fill up fee.
They listed out the unlawful acts of the headmaster.
According to them, the headmaster has collected Rs 30 from each of the Class VIII, IX ST/SC students to provide books. He sold the free books meant for ST/SC Class X students to general students for Rs 500 a piece. The school receives money from the government for eco club, buying sports equipments and other amenities every year. He spends the money at his will after getting the papers signed from the PET. He has also siphoned off lakhs of rupees that the school had received under ‘Mo School Abhiyan’.
Besides the villagers, the clerk of the school also alleged that Rout misbehaves with other teachers and staff. “He never allows me to check the accounts of the school,” alleged the clerk.
Once in the past, the villagers had written letters to the Education Minister, MP, MLAs, district Collector, district education officer and block education officer, mentioning the irregularities at the school.
The district education officer and the Collector had directed block education officer Babru Bahan Pradhan to conduct an inquiry into the allegations against the headmaster. The BEO had visited the school but no action was taken against the headmaster.
“If the headmaster is not transferred, we will continue our strike for an indefinite period,” threatened the agitating parents, villagers and managing committee members, adding that “During this period, the education will get affected and the education department officers and the government will be responsible for this.”
PNN