Dhanbad: Nirsa MLA Arup Chatterjee on Tuesday began an indefinite hunger strike outside the office of Dhanbad deputy commissioner (DC) alleging irregularities and corruption in the state education department and alleged arbitrary transfer and posting of teachers.Joined by former legislator Anand Mahato, Chatterjee claimed many schools in rural areas lacked adequate teachers despite many teachers being recruited recently, they were not being posted at institutes where they were needed.“Our fight is against the administration, not the govt. The govt is doing its job and has appointed teachers, but they are not being deployed at the right places. Student-teacher ratio norms and established rules are being ignored, while corruption is being encouraged through arbitrary transfers and postings,” Chatterjee said.Chatterjee claimed that the bulk of the 1,500 teachers, who were transferred and posted in the district in the past year, were assigned to institutes in urban areas. He alleged that money had changed hands in the process.Raising concerns over the implementation of the Right to Education (RTE) Act, Chatterjee alleged that benefits meant for economically weaker children were reaching affluent sections, while underprivileged students were being deprived of their entitlements. He threatened to continue strike till his demands were met.District education officer Abhishek Jha said the issues raised by Chatterjee would be placed before the establishment committee for examination. “The department would review the matter and address any shortcomings,” he said. The DEO Jha maintained that the student-teacher ratio was balanced across different areas. However, he said the department would reassess the situation in view of the concerns raised by the legislator.
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