Biratnagar, November 18:

The District Education Office Morang has said an additional 800 teachers should be appointed

in schools in the district to keep the student-teacher ratio at 40:1.

Although a large number of students admitted in schools at the primary level after the successful completion of admission campaign, lack of adequate teachers has marred the teaching-learning processes.

Primary schools are hard hit by lack of teachers and as many as 200 students are compelled to study in one classroom.

Sources at the DEO say some 450 teachers need to be appointed for the primary level, 200 for lower secondary level and 100 for secondary level, but a dispute between the DEO Sushil Kumar Pandey and the DDC chairman Ballav Prasad Dahal has delayed the appointments.

Shree Prasad Singh, headmaster of Bhanu Primary School said, “Our school needs four teachers but because none of them have been appointed we are facing a difficult time

managing the academic process. Only one teacher is teaching here and problem like this is rampant in schools in the district.”

Acting DEO, Krishna Prasad Dahal said that the DEO is collecting data about the number of teachers required and the quota now available and many of the vacancies were created due to the resignation or retirement of teachers.

There are 203, 273 students in the 501 schools registered in the district where 3,157 teachers are working, data at the DEO reveals.

The Kalyankari Secondary School needs five teachers, said Kebal Dangal, headmaster of the school.

He has demanded more teachers from the DEO but nothing has been done as of now.