PAC expresses concern over teacher shortage in State

BHUBANESWAR: The Public Accounts Committee of Odisha Assembly expressed grave concern over the efficiency of the School and Mass Education Department and shortage of teachers in the State. Within three years, around 30,000 teachers would retire from the service, said the committee and directed the Department to fulfill the vacancy of the teachers immediately.

In the meeting of the PAC which was organised on Monday at the State Assembly, leader of opposition and chairman of the PAC committee Bhupinder Singh discussed about the CAG report of the School and Mass Education Department. The committee said most of the schools in the State are running by one regular teacher and even some schools are running by Gana Sikshyak.

According to the rule, one section contains 55 students, but most of the schools have more than hundreds of students in a section due to teacher shortage, the Committee members said. The Committee directed the Department to submit a detailed report about the vacant posts of regular teachers of the schools in the State.

To meet the teacher shortage in the Government and Government aided schools, the Department should empower the district Collectors to appoint the retired teachers in contractual basis, the Committee said. Attendance of 44 High Schools is zero which is a matter of concern and an investigation is needed into the matter, said the chairman of the committee Bhupinder Singh.

The Committee did not express satisfaction over the implementation of various projects of the Central Government. The Committee members were not happy with the progress of the construction of 66 buildings of 10 training institutes. The Central Government has sanctioned Rs 8, 68,00000 for the project, but only eight buildings of an institute has been completed and 24 buildings of four institutes yet to be completed which shows the condition of the education system in the State, said the Committee members.