Dumka: A day after Dumka deputy commissioner (DC) Abhijit Sinha ordered withholding of salaries of 100 govt school principals for failing to ensure even 25% student attendance and sought explanations from 374 schools over zero participation in Foundational Literacy and Numeracy (FLN) Championship, the New Primary School, Thadi-Balrampur, located in Jarmundi block was found locked during class hours on Tuesday, with students waiting outside.The Foundational Literacy and Numeracy (FLN) Championship is organised by the Jharkhand Education Project Council (JEPC).Urging the administration to check teachers’ attendance through biometric records, parents of the children enrolled in the school claimed that both teachers posted there were absent from duty, leaving children stranded outside the premises.A parent said, “Teacher Mustaq Alam informed me on the phone after my child arrived at the school that he was away following the death of his mother-in-law, while another teacher, Ghanshyam Mandal, said he had gone to the district headquarters for official work.”“No alternative arrangement was made for classes though children reached school on schedule,” said Ramkishor Mandal, another parent.Jarmundi block education extension officer Isthar Murmu said, “The department has taken cognisance of the matter and ordered an inquiry int o the incident. The attendance of the teachers and circumstances leading to the school closure are being examined. Appropriate action will follow if the allegations are found true.”The development comes a day after DC Sinha directed officials to tighten monitoring of schools, improve attendance, ensure syllabus completion, and strengthen accountability in the education system, underscoring the challenge of translating administrative orders into ground-level compliance.
