‘Closed’ tag on eight schools across the Darjeeling Hills

Darjeeling, March 8: The teachers’ union of the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha has declared eight primary schools across the Darjeeling hills “closed” because of the absence of permanent teachers.

“Eight schools are now being run only by casual and voluntary teachers and we consider them as closed. Appointments to the posts of primary teachers have not been made for long and this is the fallout of the faulty system of the Bengal government. Since casual and voluntary teachers do not have any financial powers, the primary teacher’s union is terming these institutions as closed,” said Bhusan Thapa, the general secretary of the Gorkha Primary Teachers’ Organisation (GPTO).

The eight institutions are Milan Primary School, Lower Pritam Primary School, Phanpho Primary School (all in Kalimpong), Dooteria Primary School (Rimbick), Manju Primary School (Sonada), Kuwapani Primary School (Gorubathan), Chamong Unit Primary School (Nagri Farm) and Dhajea Tea Estate Primary School (Dhajea).

There are 774 primary schools in the hills, of which 170 have only one permanent teacher each. Two permanent teachers are posted at 233 schools.

The last recruitment drive for primary school teachers had been carried out in 2002. “Interviews for 120 posts were completed but the appointment letters have not yet been issued. This is a conspiracy of the state government to keep the hills backward,” alleged Thapa.

At the moment, there are 2,140 permanent teachers in the hills, apart from 868 casual and 407 voluntary teachers. Casual teachers are employed and paid by the DGHC.

B.L. Meena, the DGHC administrator, said: “The schools are being run by casual workers. There is no school board in the hills but we have written to the state government to put in such a mechanism immediately. Once the board is formed, things will be sorted out”.

He admitted that the 120 teachers who had appeared for the interview in 2002 had not been appointed. “The panel (of selected candidates) had been prepared but Subash Ghisingh (then DGHC chairman) did not give the appointment orders. I do not think that the list will be valid for so long.”