1 week ago
Malda School Inspection Finds Seven Enrolled Students, None Present
A girls’ school in Malda officially has seven students.
One of those students is in Class V. When an official visited on Monday, none of the students were there.
Only one teacher and a clerk were present.
Some other teachers were reportedly on leave or working at other schools.
The school’s English teacher said guardians were repeatedly asked to send their daughters, but the students still did not attend.
There were also allegations that the school sometimes stayed closed and that teachers left after signing in.
Officials will report what they found to senior authorities.
They are also asking whether schools with very few students should be changed or combined with other schools.
The Central School for Girls in English Bazar has seven enrolled students, including one in Class V.
No students were present during an official inspection on Monday.
Only one of the school’s four teachers and its clerk were present during the inspection.
The inspection reviewed school records, documents and attendance registers following reports of irregular functioning.
Officials are considering wider questions about low enrolment, teacher deployment and whether such schools should be reorganised or merged.
- Who
- The Central School for Girls, its seven enrolled students, teachers and clerk, and inspecting official S Pramanik.
- What
- An inspection found no students on the premises despite the school’s official enrolment of seven girls, amid allegations of irregular functioning.
- Where
- The Central School for Girls on B.S. Road in English Bazar, Malda, north Bengal.
- When
- Monday; no specific date was provided.
- Why
- The inspection followed media reports and allegations that the school was sometimes closed and that attendance and teaching were irregular.
School’s Explanation
Inspection Concerns
Student absence
School’s Explanation
Teacher Jhuma Besra said the school repeatedly contacted guardians and asked them to send their daughters, but the students did not attend.
Inspection Concerns
The inspection found that none of the seven enrolled students was present, raising questions about whether the institution is functioning meaningfully.
Staff attendance
School’s Explanation
Besra acknowledged leaving once during duty hours because she fell ill, while saying that completely locking the school was not acceptable.
Inspection Concerns
Reports alleged that teachers sometimes signed the attendance register and left without conducting classes; during the inspection, only one teacher and the clerk were present, while others were said to be on leave or examination duty.
Future of low-enrolment schools
School’s Explanation
The school’s continued operation reflects an effort to serve its officially enrolled students, despite severe attendance problems.
Inspection Concerns
An official said similar problems may exist elsewhere and raised the possibility of reorganising, merging or otherwise reconsidering schools with very few students.
Key facts
- Enrolment
- Seven girls are officially enrolled, including one in Class V.
- Students present
- No students were present during Monday’s inspection.
- School staff
- The school has four teachers and one clerk; one teacher and the clerk were present during the inspection.
- Inspection official
- AI of Schools S Pramanik conducted the inspection.
- Inspection scope
- Records, documents and attendance registers were examined.
- Teacher explanation
- English teacher Jhuma Besra said guardians had been asked to send their daughters, but students continued to stay away.
- Next step
- The findings will be reported to higher authorities, which will decide what happens next.
Quotes
Jhuma Besra
English teacher at the Central School for Girls in Malda
“We keep calling the guardians and asking them to send their daughters to school, but nobody comes. As a result, this is the situation”
thestatesman.com
An official associated with the inspection process
Official involved in the inspection of the Malda school
“This is nothing but the tip of the iceberg. There are several schools in different districts, both in urban and rural areas, where institutions are technically functioning but have very few students and face serious attendance and operational problems”
thestatesman.com
Sources
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