Two teachers run the show in this school

Bantwal, Jul 17: Teachers mould the children, they say. But, here in Karla Higher Primary school, of Perne GP, the students have to play the role of the teachers too, thereby shaping themselves.

Shortage of teachers has hit this school in such a way that many a times the students themselves take up the role of the teachers too.

There are 99 students studying from first to seventh standard and there are only two teachers teaching almost every subject to every class. Hence to share the burden of teaching some students are hand-picked to take classes.

Head teacher Varijakshi and Assistant teacher Babu Gowda form the teaching faculty here. Every day it is almost a circus that the two teachers do in the school by jumping from one class to another, managing the show with just four hands.

The school was started in 1989 and the government has provided basic facilities from time to time. However, shortage of teachers and inadequate classrooms remain to be unsolved problems here.

Third and fourth standard students are made to sit in same classroom and listen to lecturers. If at all one of the teachers go on leave, then it is 'one man show' that saves the grace of this school.

On Monday, the episode of 'one man show' was seen as Varijakshi had been on leave. Babu Gowda was seen taking classes for all the children singlehandedly. If this act deserves a round of applause or thrashing from the departments concerned is a subjective issue in itself. However, the incident has brought to open the plight of government schools in the state, which are plagued by various problems.

On Monday, Mr Gowda was seen conducting classes under Nali-Kali for students of first and second standard, took classes for rest of the students till seventh standard, managed the 'mid day meal' too all by himself.

The students studying here come from economically backward families. Out of 99 students 54 are from SC/ST families. Though the School Development Monitoring Committee has brought the problems existing in the school to the notice of the Government, nothing has been done so far to change the situation.

The locals are fuming over the lethargic attitude of the education department, which keeps saying that Government schools will not be closed and more attention will be paid towards providing quality education. They question as to how a Government school can withstand the onslaught of the private schools if Government fails to provide minimum number of teachers to these schools.

Guest teachers

However, responding to the issue, Block Education Officer said that shortage of teachers is seen in several schools in the taluk and hence now the department is contemplating to bring in guest teachers. Karla school will be tackled on priority basis.