Siksha Sahayaks fail to join as Locals protest

In the face of stiff protest from the locals against appointment of Siksha Sahayaks (SSs) from outside the district, newly recruited SSs at Bandhugaon block in Orissa's Koraput district could not join duties, official sources said.Demanding appointment of candidates as SSs from the district only, locals launched a protest in the block office and threatened the SSs not to join duty.The protesters reached the block office and locked the building where the joining process was on yesterday and did not't allow any official to enter."A group of locals barged into the office and asked us not to allow any outside candidate to join as SS in the block.They locked the office after driving us out," said inspector of schools, Bandhugaon, Bhagirathi Jena."Only three local candidates were allowed to join. We informed the local police but to no avail. Many SSs returned to their home from the bus-stop," Jen said.Officials said over 100 SSs were given appointment at the Maoist-infested Bandhugaon block, about 100 km from the district headquarters town of Koraput on Orissa-Andhra border.Sources said immediate steps should be taken by the administration to solve the issue or else it would take a heavy toll on education. Quality education will break down in the interior areas of the block sans teachers."We are keeping a close watch on the developments. In a day or two the issue will be solved. All necessary steps will be taken to ensure that the candidates selected as SSs join their respective schools without any hassle," said district collector (Koraput) Sachin Ramdas Jadhav.From the beginning of the selection process of the SSs, several organizations, including political parties, were demanding appointment of local candidates as SSs in the district.