Bhubaneswar: The School and Mass Education (S&ME) Department in Odisha has directed all district Collectors to take the necessary steps for deployment of additional teachers in government primary schools that are currently functioning with only one teacher.

The directive aims to ensure compliance with the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009, particularly provisions relating to the minimum number of teachers and the prescribed Pupil-Teacher Ratio (PTR) in primary schools.

Commissioner-cum-Secretary of the School and Mass Education Department, N. Thirumala Naik, has written to all district collectors directing them to accord the issue top priority and complete the exercise within one month.

According to the department, data from the Unified District Information System for Education Plus (UDISE+) indicates that a significant number of government primary schools across Odisha are still being managed by a single teacher. The department observed that such a situation can adversely affect the quality of teaching and is not in conformity with the provisions of the RTE Act.

Under Sections 19 and 25 of the RTE Act, primary schools are required to maintain prescribed standards, including minimum teacher strength and the stipulated pupil-teacher ratio.

The district collectors have been asked to immediately review the status of all single-teacher schools in their respective districts. Wherever necessary, teachers are to be rationalised, transferred or deployed to ensure the minimum required teacher strength in every school.

Schools with a higher student enrolment are to be given priority while deploying additional teachers. The rationalisation process for single-teacher schools should be completed within one month.

The department has further asked all district Collectors to submit an Action Taken Report (ATR) within 15 days of receiving the directive, detailing the measures taken to address the issue.