No teacher, no school

This is what the villagers of Ajmer district want. In a daring step, hundreds of villagers of Jawaja block of Ajmer district closed or put a lock on 80 government schools in the area on July 30. A large number of villagers in jeeps and tractors went to the five panchayats of Jwaja block – one after another – with sticks in hand to close down the schools.

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They closed down the government primary and middle schools one by one, forcing teachers out and then locking the main gates.

This was a sequel to the earlier protest march on July 23 when the villagers thronged the education department at district headquarters and demanded the appointment of teachers and warned that if it failed to appoint teachers within a week, the schools would be closed. According to the reports, villagers have been angry over government’s apathetic attitude in appointing teachers in primary schools in the region. Not only that. The angry villagers threatened the education department that the schools would remain closed till they issued orders appointing permanent teachers.

The protesting villagers were shouting slogans like “without teachers there is no need for schools in the villages” and "What is the use of a school when children are not getting education there/?” What is noticeable about this unprecedented protest is that village women like Doli Devi, the Sarpanch of Barkhana panchayat, Sarpanch Tara Devi and Bhuri Devi led the agitation. More importantly, the women of the area were demanding better education for their children.

The realisation that the education department was no making due efforts in appointing teachers, the protesting villagers were of the opinion that the government officials were making fools of them. Although Block Education Officer tried to pacify the slogan shouting villagers, it was in vain as seeing the angry villagers he hurried back to his office. Fiannly, when the report reached the District Education Officer who rushed to Jawaja and promised to provide temporary teachers. However, the villagers want permanent teachers.

The act of the villagers is very significant, given the fact that the government has been trying to provide teaching facilities to the Indian villages through schemes like Sarva Sikhsha Abhiyan. However, the lack of teachers in 80 schools contradicts the government’s claim of providing elementary schooling to children up to the age of 14.