SHUBHANGI SHIFA
Ranchi, Oct 13: Residential schools in the state are in a dire state, either without teachers, or buildings. Large numbers of seats are also vacant in many of these schools.
Jharkhand, notably, has three groups of residential schools in the state including Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Residential School, Jharkhand Girls Residential School and Kasturba Gandhi Girls School. The total number of said residential schools is 285. There are 203 Kasturba Gandhi Girls Schools, 57 Jharkhand Girls Residential Schools and 25 Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Residential Schools.
Sources have claimed that 41 Jharkhand Girls Residential Schools are yet to get their own buildings, and are being operated in buildings of the Kasturba Gandhi Girls School. Meanwhile, the Kasturba Gandhi Girls Schools are facing a teacher shortage. Meanwhile, none of these schools has 100 percent admission in any district.
Out of the 57 Jharkhand Girls Residential School buildings, 16 are ready. Jharkhand Education Project has directed school administrations to shift schools to these new school buildings. Meanwhile, there are reports of delay in the preparation of the remaining 36 buildings.
JEPC’s State Project Director Kiran Kumari Pasi said that has directed the education officers to shift the girls’ residential schools for which new buildings have already been built and handed over. Instructions have also been given to ensure the presence of teachers in all schools.
Talking in this regard, Director Pasi said, “16 buildings of the Jharkhand Girls Residential Schools are already complete and have been handed over. 10 more are expected to be complete by the year’s end. In the case of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose schools, only five schools don’t have their buildings as they are still under construction. These buildings will also be handed over by December – January.”
Furthermore, regarding the vacancies in schools, the director added, “There are a total of 1015 sanctioned posts for teachers in these schools, out of which 727 posts have been filled, while 288 posts are still vacant.”
Moreover, none of the Kasturba Gandhi Girls Schools in any of the districts has reported 100 percent admission this session. Around 21 percent of seats in all schools are left vacant. Notably, there are 1,06,576 seats for admission in 203 Kasturba Girls Schools, however, this year only 84,315 seats have had enrollment.
Bokaro, Garhwa, Gumla, Simdega, Ranchi, Godda and Chatra districts have reported less than 75 percent enrollment. The in-charge in each of these has been sent show-cause notices due to low admissions. By October 15, all the districts have been instructed to invite admissions for vacant seats by publishing advertisements.
Similarly, the seats in Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose residential schools in 13 districts of the state have not been filled 100 percent during admissions this session. Education officers have informed JEPC that none of the schools in Chatra, Dumka, Garhwa, Giridih, Godda, Gumla, Hazaribagh, Khunti, Koderma, Pakur, Palamu, West Singhbhum and Simdega has 100 percent enrollment.
Meanwhile, in a report, the District Education Officer in Pakur has expressed the requirement for rooms for students of class 9.
