Jeypore, 19th July 2025: There’s a sign of relief for students of Upar Kolab High School, located in the Irrigation Colony under the Department of Water Resources in Jeypore, as the teaching crisis is finally being addressed. Following a report by Samaja highlighting the acute teacher shortage, the Education Department has appointed four teachers to the school on deputation.
Earlier, teachers appointed under the Kolab Project often went on leave, leaving only two actively teaching. As two of them were set to retire by the end of July this year, students’ future was at risk due to the looming teacher vacuum.
Established in 1978 initially for Class 6 and 7 students, the school was upgraded to a high school in 1987 to teach up to Class 10. However, all teachers were appointed on a work-charge basis by the Kolab Project and were paid accordingly. Despite being approved by the Mass Education Department, regular teachers were never officially appointed by the School and Mass Education Department.
By 2010, six teachers had been managing the school. After two of them retired in 2020, four teachers were left to manage Classes 6 to 10. But in April 2024, the headmaster retired, followed by the Hindi teacher in June, worsening the situation.
In response to requests for teacher appointments, the Mass Education Department deputed two teachers — Purnachandra Choudhury and Chinnapa Murchana — who have been teaching since June 18. Since they are trained to teach up to Class 8, they are currently handling Classes 6 to 8.
The remaining two regular teachers, Headmaster Jagadish Prasad Swain and Science teacher Dibakar Pattnaik, are both set to retire on July 31, after which there will be no teachers left for Classes 9 and 10. This has caused significant concern among parents and the community.
After Samaja reported the crisis, the department moved quickly. Education Minister Nityananda Gond announced that the government is not only appointing teachers but is also considering bringing Upar Kolab High School under the School and Mass Education Department’s administrative control.
In addition to the two already deputed teachers:
Mohan Harijan (from Government Girls’ High School)
Dharitri Maharana (from Pujariput High School)
have been ordered to serve at Upar Kolab High School on deputation.
Similarly:
Seema Jayadev (from Jagadish Chandra Nayak High School) will teach on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays,
Megharani Pal (from Municipality High School) will teach on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, particularly Hindi.
These deployments were confirmed by District Education Officer Dr. Prashanta Mohanty, who acknowledged that the recent Samaja report prompted swift action and community discussions.
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