ALFRED FERNANDES
SANGUEM: On this very soil people are battling the State for the manner in which the IIT project is being pushed through.
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In the same village there are some “primary issues” that need more focus. Like giving just one teacher for school children.
In the remote Valkini in Sanguem taluka, 18-odd children studying from Class I-III at the government primary school have been all at sea.
Their sole teacher retired from service on August 31 this year, leaving them on their own.
The local youth, who himself is an ex-student of the institution, lamented at the step-motherly treatment meted out to government primary schools in far-flung areas of the State. “I have studied here and consider it my duty to see that the children of my village progress. I have no vested interest in taking classes, but decided to do so after seeing the little children waste their time,”
Rekdo, who began teaching at the school just three days ago, said, “When repeated requests to the government from the school’s parent-teacher association (PTA) and the assistant director of education inspector (ADEI) for a new teacher fell on deaf ears, in stepped Premanand Rekdo, a DEd degree holder who despite being unemployed, agreed to teach the floundering students at the Valkini Primary School free of cost.
His selfless service has been winning Rekdo accolades from the parents and other villagers. In fact, news of the local youth rising up to the occasion spread like wildfire throughout Sanguem taluka, bringing into focus the government’s lackadaisical attitude in the matter.
Sanguem ADEI Sitaram Naik told Herald that before the school’s teacher could retire, his office had moved a file seeking deputation of a new one. When that did not happen, he issued an order on September 8 instructing the assistant teacher at the government school at Wadem to take charge of the primary school at Valkini. This too did not materialise as the teacher expressed his inability to take on the role.
“It is now left to the higher authorities to take an appropriate decision in the matter,” an exasperated Naik said.
Navlo Natoshe, a parent, sought the intervention of local MLA Subhash Phal Dessai in the matter. “More attention should be paid to resolving problems at the grassroots level of education instead of rallying behind the IIT project proposed for Sanguem,” he said.
