'Will smart schools with no teachers serve purpose of quality education in Odisha?'

After an answer sheet of Sanskrit language in which a class-9 student of Prahaladchandra Brahmachari High School in Khairabad panchayat of Jajpur wrote, “We have no teachers, so don’t expect too much,” went viral, the sorry state of education stemming from teachers’ crunch have come to the fore in Odisha. 

This very incident has evoked a wave of reactions from people of various sections of society in Odisha. Dwelling upon the perennial issue in almost all schools, Prashant Kumar Behera, a resident of Cuttack, raised several questions on the system of education in the government schools and on the 5T initiative. 

“The first priority in education is the appointment of teachers. Making schools smart will not serve purpose of the education. Will the nice desks, tables and smart electronic blackboards teach the students? Only teachers will impart education. Hence, the priority should be arranging the adequate number of teachers,” Behera observed.

Behera also held the Odisha government responsible for neglecting the teacher’s appointment.

Sukant Mohanty, another resident of the Millennium City said, “Our children are the future of the country. Our root language is Sanskrit. It is sad to see that nowadays the language is not given importance. The teaching of Sanskrit language has been stopped in schools and colleges. At least, Sanskrit should be continued at the school level.”

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Dilip Rout of Chandbali in Bhadrak lamented the fact that quality education is not guaranteed in schools. “The government is not developing a system in the education sector which will ensure bright future of students. If good students are produced, the future of the country as well as Odisha will brighten. These students will lead the country and the state ahead,” he added.

Rout further stated that all that is now happening to schools is whitewashing their façades and leaving necessary work aside; but crores of rupees are drained out from the state coffers.

Saroj Mishra, a resident of Kabisuryanagar in Ganjam alleged that the education system in Odisha has completely collapsed. “The government is claiming credit for school transformation under the 5T, but it's better not to tell about the state of education at these transformed schools,” he rued.