Helpline of no help to students

PARADIP: The State Government has launched a toll-free helpline to help schoolchildren ventilate their problems, including corporal punishment, mental harassment,  quality of mid-day-meal, teachers’ absenteeism and so on.  Children and their parents can call in the toll-free number 1800 345 6722 or send email in [email protected] to lodge their complaints. The facility has, however, been of no help to students of Jagatsinghpur district.Forty students of  Badrodanga primary school under Balikuda block of the district had lodged complaints about supply of substandard mid-day meals and lack of quality education through the helpline last month.  Priyadarshini Lenka (name changed), a student of the school, had lodged a complaint through the helpline about the poor MDM quality.  Similarly, another student Biswarup Ray (name changed) had alleged that there were not sufficient teachers in the school to cater to all students. Yet, as many as 40 complaints like these have been left unattended by the School and Mass Education Department till date.Sources said irregularities by the school management committee has led to the sorry state of affairs.  Even as a complaint was filed in this regard with the DI of Schools Pitamber Rout a few months back, no action has been taken to set things right.Harassed, the students and their parents have submitted a memorandum to the Commissioner-cum-Secretary of School and Mass Education Department, Aparajita Sarangi.Department Deputy Director Sanatan Panda said the students and parents had been advised to appear before the Commissioner in person if the department failed to respond to their complaints through the  helpline.