The implementation of school and teacher rationalization in Dhamtari district has significantly benefited schools previously operating with limited teaching staff. Out of 170 such schools, 133 have received additional teachers. The absence of teachers in remote areas had negatively impacted student learning, a situation now being addressed through teacher placements. Following the rationalization, three primary and four middle schools in Dhamtari that lacked teachers now have staff. Furthermore, 111 high and higher secondary schools have been provided with mathematics and science teachers, fostering an improved academic environment.
With state government guidelines, the counseling process for surplus teachers has been completed, leading to the allocation of new teachers to remote, teacher-less schools, and single-teacher schools, thereby ensuring quality education for students. Children in the remote forested areas of the district faced difficulties in their studies due to teacher shortages, which jeopardized their future. However, the rationalization has brought a ray of hope, with schools now receiving teachers.
Prior to rationalization, schools in the district’s plains had an excess of teachers compared to the enrollment numbers, while remote schools were understaffed. This imbalance negatively impacted the studies of children in many schools. The absence of mathematics, science, chemistry, and physics teachers hindered students’ ability to grasp these subjects. The district administration has addressed this through rationalization. Collector Abinash Mishra stated that 111 schools lacked math and science teachers, and teachers have been appointed according to subject needs. The rationalization has resolved teacher shortages in remote areas like the South Magarlod Nagari block and the submerged areas. He noted that all teachers have joined their allocated schools, and their deployment has brought enthusiasm among local representatives, parents, and schoolchildren. The challenges in children’s education will now be relieved, leading to improved quality of education.
At Atang Primary School, with 121 students and only two teachers, three new teachers have been added, bringing the total to five. The Government Naveen Primary School Premnagar Atang, located just 4 km from Kurud block headquarters, has 121 students. Despite a high enrollment, the school has been running with two teachers—a head teacher and an assistant teacher—and relying on local arrangements for alternative teachers. Achieving the desired quality of education has been difficult. The school management committee members, sarpanch, and parents had been persistently requesting teachers. The government’s rationalization process has resulted in the posting of three new assistant teachers, fulfilling the required number of teachers in proportion to the number of students. Mrs. Parvati Baghel, Mrs. Dooj Kurre, and Mrs. Lakshmi Mudliyar have joined the Naveen Primary School Premnagar Atang. The school management committee chairman, Umendra Sahu, vice-chairman Shivkumar Sahu, and other members and parents have expressed their happiness over the teachers’ arrival.