Schools have no teachers and text books – ZP members at meeting

Schools have no teachers and text books – ZP members at meeting

Mangalore Today News Network

Mangalore, July 17, 2012 : Speaking at the 8th general body meeting of the DK Zilla Panchayat (ZP) held in Nethravathi Hall on July 16, Monday, Mamatha Gatty, member of the ZP, said that the students of Sajipa Nadu School have been put through a lot of inconvenience because the government has not yet appointed mathematics and science teachers for the school. Blaming it on the insufficient honorariums given in rural schools, she said that some schools have more teachers than required, while some schools do not have any teachers. In response, Dr. K. N. Vijayaprakash, ZP CEO, said that the ZP will form a commission to meet the education minister and sort out the issue.

Speaking on the occasion, Chandrakala, another ZP member, said that text books have not yet been distributed in Perinje School. In response, K. T. Shailaja Bhat, president of the ZP, instructed the block education officer for Perinje to resolve this issue.

When Devaraj, another ZP member, complained that groceries are not available for mid-day meals in schools, Dr. Vijayaprakash said that such delays cannot have any excuses and added that the monthly tender method, which was based on the annual tender method used previously, can be implemented to resolve this issue.

Raising the issue of Koraga welfare, ZP member M. S. Mohammed said that a poor Koraga family has taken refuge in the primary health centre of Kolnadu GP in Bantwal. When he wanted to know why sites have not yet been distributed among Koraga families, Shailaja Bhat, ZP president, said that social welfare officers have prepared a list of landless Koraga families and have handed it over to the respective tahsildars. The DC will soon call a meeting to discuss an action plan, she added.

ZP member Santhosh Kumar Rai said that the Ira GP is being managed in a very irregular manner and demanded that the Panchayat Development Officer (PDO) must be suspended and an investigation must be held.

ZP member Tulasi said that a district administration team, under the leadership of the DC, had visited Naxal-infested zones and promised jobs for poor villagers, but nothing has been done about it so far. In response, Dr. Vijayaprakash said that, if the government releases a package of Rs. 5 crore, it can be used to assist people in Naxal-infested zones.

The issue of granting Rs. 25 lakh to each ZP member for various development projects was then raised, and it led to a heated debate. Raising the issue, M. S. Mohammed of the Congress said that the BJP had praised the government sky high when the grant was announced, but the grants have not yet been released. In response, Dr. Vijayaprakash said that only Rs. 3.33 crore of the promised Rs. 10 crore has been sanctioned although tenders have been called for around 224 projects.

Dhanalakshmi Janardhan, vice president of the ZP; Nazeer, planning officer; Ishwar Kateel, member of the standing committee on health and education; and many other ZP officers took part in this meeting.