Rajnandgaon: District Education Officer (DEO) Abhay Jaiswal, who had allegedly threatened and misbehaved with the girl students complaining about a shortage of teachers of a Aliwara School of Dongargarh, Rajnandgaon district, has been removed from his post. The removal follows a recent media video report in which distressed students can be seen crying due to the insult made by the DEO.
DEO Jaiswal has been reassigned to the position of Assistant Director at the Directorate of Public Instruction, Indravati Bhawan, Nava Raipur. Aditya Khare has been appointed as the interim DEO for Rajnandgaon.
The controversy began when students from a government school in Dongargarh approached DEO Jaiswal with a complaint regarding the shortage of teachers. The students claimed that Jaiswal reacted angrily, questioning who taught them to write the complaint letter and threatening them with imprisonment. They reported being dismissed from his office.
The students had expressed their concerns in their application, stating that they had no teachers for 11th and 12th grades at Aliwara Higher Secondary School. They threatened to stage a sit-in protest and lock the school if their concerns were not addressed within three days. Despite the urgency, the DEO reportedly dismissed their concerns and mentioned that staging a lockout was illegal and could cause problems for their parents.
The school currently lacks teachers for 11th and 12th grades, with only 5 out of the required 10 teaching positions filled. The existing teachers are primarily occupied with classes for 9th and 10th grades.
Parents have also complained that the school is running out of adequate numbers of of teachers for two years, significantly impacting students' education. The Rajnandgaon Collector has promised that arrangements will be made within two days.
Collector Sanjay Agarwal acknowledged the shortage of teachers across the district but assured that steps would be taken to address the situation at Aliwara school.