Kumar Rajiv Nayan
Ara: The state government and even central government claim qualitative improvement in education due to all facilities to the students at school level but the ground reality is quite different. The studentshave not been supplied books even after five months of their admission in schools and even teachers seldom engage classes though they mark their attendance daily.
Though the cycle, scholarship and uniform schemes of the government has increased percentage of attendance in government schools and if the distribution of amount meant for these schemes is delayed, the guardians resort to agitation but the authorities concerned are hardly bothered about teaching in schools.
Bihar Education Project (BEP) became operational in Bhojpur district in 1997 and it is responsible for distribution of books of Class I to Class VIII in government schools every year but the students have not been issued books even after five months of their admission in schools and their half yearly examination is near.
Headmistress, Government Primary School, Jawahar Tola, Ara, Sushila Kumari said that as the books were yet to be issued to them this year, the students come to school only to play. Even teachers are helpless and they cannot teach students without books though they engage classes regularly. ghe said that the Government has banned selling of books of BSTC in the open market hence the students depend on the Bihar Education Project (BEP). She said that the government teachers are assigned duties other than teaching like election, preparation of voters’ list, census of human beings, cattle, houses etc. the whole year. Besides, they are also assigned the duty of Midday meal in schools.
The Government Middle School at Dharahara, Ara, has 700 students. The students of Class I to Class VIII study here in only three classrooms sitting on floor. The Mid Day Meal (MDM) is cooked on LPG near these classrooms. Filth and garbage are scattered on he premises of schools. When this correspondent visited the school at Jawahat Tola, classes were arranged in haste and the teachers tried to maintain educational atmosphere in school. ,Shweta, an assistant teacher, said that teachers are teaching students without books in humid condition as the school has no electricity.
Headmaster of a Government Middle School did not know even the names of Bihar Chief Minister and Education Minister and when this correspondent drew his attention towards this ignorance, he requested not to publish it.
The matter was raised in Bihar Legislative Assembly recently. Education minister Ashok Chaudhary blamed the centre for delay in distribution of books among students. He said that the central government did not supply papers on time henc the books could not be published. He said the books will be available within two months.