No teachers at school, students run chores
REWARI SCHOOL With no teachers for science and commerce, Rewari students put academic dreams on hold and turn to household activities instead
REWARI: For 16-year-old Sujata Chauhan, a class 11 student in a government school in Gothra in Rewari, scoring 60% marks in class 10 was no easy task. She had to fight years of ingrained misogyny in her village and within her family to keep going to school so that she could achieve her dream of becoming a doctor.
Reality, however, checkmated her. Her school has no teachers in the science stream and Sujata now keeps her herself busy doing household chores.
“I was forced to take arts. My dream of becoming a doctor will remain a dream,” said Sujata.
“My friends now ask me if one becomes a doctor by washing clothes and staying at home ,” she said.
The Gothra village in Rewari was last in the news in May, when the girl students there had held numerous protests demanding that their school be upgraded to senior secondary. Although the government heeded their demand and upgraded the school, there are not enough teachers for classes 11 and 12.
The government school has eight teachers for 17 students. Four of these teachers are in the arts stream while the students want to pursue science and commerce.
The students and parents are demanding that the government appoint teachers to their school at the earliest as half of the academic session is already over. Due to the shortage of teachers, many students have dropped out and are compelled to stay at home, helping their parents in household work.
“I had encouraged other girls in my village to take up studies. But now it seems I too will have to drop out or study arts,” said Sujata, whose older sister will soon join the Delhi Police and another is studying in Jaipur.
Sarita, a student of class 12, who studied in village Kanwali got herself enrolled in Gothra school after news spread that the school was upgraded.
“I was happy to know that I could study in my own village. I am a student of science and so I was hoping to set an example for others. But after I joined the school, I realised there are no science teachers there. My dreams have been shattered ,” said Sarita.
Pooja Chauhan, who also scored 60% in the class 10 exam, wanted to opt for science. “Not even a single day goes by when I don’t cry to sleep. I have to do all the work which girls who stay at home do.My fate is no different from them,” she said.
The authorities, on the other hand, are blaming lack of students in the science and commerce streams for the shortage of teachers.
Dharamvir Baldodia, district education officer, Rewari, said, “Even when the school was not upgraded, it had four high school teachers. The vacancies have been uploaded on the portal and will soon be filled but there are no students who have taken admission in the science stream,” he said.
He said the district administration has already directed that more teachers be appointed in the school.
B al do di a said Re war i dist ric t’ s students had topped in Haryana board’s class 10 and 12 exams. “It is not that we do not support students or do not want to provide them education, but everything has to be systematic. The teachers will be transferred but they should have students to teach. Else, what will they do ?” said B aldodia. Two other schools, in Rajgar hand Maheshwari villages, were also upgraded after the girl students protested in May.