‘We don’t have teachers for Sanskrit, so don’t expect too much from us,’ read the answer sheet of a Class 9 student of a school in Odisha. Yes, you read that right!
The student’s answer on his sheet was a sign of protest over the alleged lack of teachers in the school. The bizarre incident has been reported from Prahaladchandra Brahmachari High School in Khairabad panchayat of Jajpur block.
Even as Class 10 students are going to write their Board Exams in the next three months, they have not been taught a single chapter of these subjects. The students have allegedly been deprived of Sanskrit, Geography, and History lessons due to lack of teachers.
As a mark of protest, the student expressed his outrage in his answer sheet during the exam.
According to sources, the school had conducted Sanskrit exams for all the students. Slamming the school authorities for the negligence and lack of teachers, the Class 9 student wrote, “We have not been taught Sanskrit. We have written whatever we know. So, don’t expect too much from us.”
“We don’t have enough teachers, so kindly don’t expect too much from us,” the student's answer sheet read.
“We have not even opened the book, so how will we write the answers? It is not just about me, but it is about all the students. We don’t have books and teachers. They are playing with our future,” a student said.
“This school has been transformed under the Odisha government’s ambitious 5T project. However, there are no teachers for Class X students in History, Geography, and Sanskrit. Students have not been taught anything, but they are conducting exams now,” alleged a guardian Diptimayee Kar.
“We have approached the District Collector, the DEO, but no steps are being taken in this regard. The Class 10 students are going to appear for their Board exams on February 20. What will the students write in their answer sheets,” she questioned.
When contacted, the school headmistress Sanjukta Dei said, “There was a Sanskrit teacher in the school, but he has now been deployed to another school. So, students have been deprived of Sanskrit. But, today we were conducting the Sanskrit exam.”
“We have brought the matter to the notice of the District Collector and the DEO. All the village committee, sarpanch, and others have also appraised the higher officials for the need of teachers,” she added.