AGARTALA, April 20 (TIWN): Teaching pattern to attract the students to attend the schools in Tripura is decreasing alarmingly day by day. Having achieved more than 95 percent literacy, Tripura is not resting on its laurels. The state government, specially the department of school education, is deeply concerned over “very low” attendance in schools across the state. Even the midday meal scheme fails to attract.

Recently, a memo released by the School Education Department bearing No. N.F 8 (10)-ASE/MDM, 2011, it is mentioned that, “It is clear that in our state the average attendance rate is much low than that of our national average attendance rate. This surely puts question mark over the future of this small hilly State”.

Tripura has 4,790 schools of all categories, but barring those in urban areas, attendance of students in schools in the rural and hilly areas is now down to 30 percent. The teachers should impart lessons in such a way that students will be attracted to attend classes. Most surprisingly in the last one year record, 1200 teachers were given punishment for not attending their classes regularly, but it fails to create any effect. 1381 teachers remain absent from the school without any proper notice in the three consecutive years. It has been observed that the government school teachers posted in schools located in remote and hilly areas usually engage proxy teachers.

They do it so that they are free to run some business or work at their preferred place. According to Tripura school education department, around 1,500 government school teachers were either suspended or other action was taken against them last year for neglecting their duties. Under the Right to Education Act, 2009, it is mandatory to every child who completes his or her education till standard eight be awarded a certificate as per the education department's format after conducting CCE at regular intervals.

In many of the schools it is found that teachers and non-teaching employees absent during working hours. However, eighteen days of unauthorized leave of teachers had been legalized by the Government by issuing instruction that the teachers have to remain present in the school with an attendance of 95%. Such kind of instructions created grievances and whining among the teachers and academic sphere.