Attendance order draws flak

THE DISTRICT administration?s decision asking teachers and students from middle to higher secondary school to report on Sunday for active participation in the pulse polio drive has drawn a flak from a section of parents and teachers.

THE DISTRICT administration’s decision asking teachers and students from middle to higher secondary school to report on Sunday for active participation in the pulse polio drive has drawn a flak from a section of parents and teachers.

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Students of government schools have been asked to participate actively in the drive by visiting residential localities to encourage parents to bring their children to the polio booths, providing information on its importance and sitting in the polio booths to help those coming for administering polio vaccine to kids.

The District Education Officer (DEO), the District Planning Officer of the Rajya Shiksha Kendra (who look after primary and middle level schools) issued formal orders in this regard – consequent to directives from Collector S K Mishra on February 3 during the review meeting on the drive.

A section of parents decried it, saying that the students would lose out on the only holiday in the week and their involvement in the door-to-door awareness drive is little too much to expect from the students.

DEO Dhirendra Chaturvedi said, the drive was an educational work and no one should be averse to it, he said. He clarified that the students would not be expected to participate in drive all through the day. “They would be involved in the campaign only during the early hours,’’ the DEO said.