Protest Escalates as Students and Parents Lock School Demanding Head Mistress Replacement
By Addanki Iswar R.
Malkangiri,16 January,2024:- Students and parents of Govt. High School, MV-16 in Tandapalli GP, Malkangiri, have taken drastic action by locking the school in protest of the prolonged presence of Head Mistress Sadhana Mondal. Mondal, who has held the position for 14 years, is facing allegations of misbehavior towards colleagues and forcing students to engage in unsafe activities, such as climbing bamboo trees to cut branches and performing risky works.
On December 26, 2023, villagers formally complained to the District Education Officer about Mondal’s actions, submitting evidence of her directing students to undertake hazardous tasks . Despite their plea, there has been no action taken in the past 15 days. Frustrated with the lack of response, the villagers decided to lock the school indefinitely until their demand for the replacement of the Head Mistress is addressed.
The District Education Officer expressed concern over the inaction and revealed attempts to contact the Malkangiri Block Education Officer .The deadlock persists, leaving the school community in limbo and raising questions about the responsiveness of education authorities in addressing pressing concerns.