05/01/2009

Teachers burn books to keep warm in winter, villagers irked

 

Patna, Jan 5 :Teachers of a school in Bihar's Gaya district burnt books meant to be distributed among students to keep themselves warm on a chilly winter day, angering villagers.

The shocking incident came to light when students of the government middle school at Pariya Bazaar in Gaya, about 100 km from here, told their parents and relatives, police officials said Monday.

Students of Class VIII said that on Saturday, the coldest day of the season in Bihar, the teachers had huddled together in the corner of a room and burnt books to warm themselves. Gaya Saturday recorded a temperature of 6.8 degrees Celsius.

The panchayat (village body) head has lodged a police complaint over the matter.

Shayamdeo Prasad Gupta, head of Azmatganj panchayat, said action must be taken against the teachers.

"I had informed the district education officer and will lodge a complaint with district magistrate soon to take action against the teachers," Gupta said.

He added that the books that were burnt include the subjects Sanskrit, Urdu and Maths.

District education officer Brajesh Kumar Ojha, however, said he was not aware of any such incident. But he said he would order a probe if he got a report on the matter and that action would be taken against the teachers if they were found guilty.

Parents of the school students also said that the teachers had time and again told them that books were not available for distribution.

Bihar has been experiencing a cold wave and temperatures have dipped drastically in the past three days. At least 25 people have died in the state due to the intense cold.

(IANS)

 


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