Balangir: In a shocking incident, a schoolteacher in Odisha’s Balangir was forced to go for duty despite being seriously ill after his repeated leave requests were rejected.
The teacher, identified as Prakash Bhoi of Odisha Adarsha Vidyalaya (OAV) in Balangir’s Patnagarh, alleged that he had no option but to go to school with an IV drip attached.
The incident has sparked outrage among fellow teachers and the locals.
Stating that he was unwell after his grandfather’s funeral, Bhoi said he had requested leave from work, but principal Bijayalakshmi Pradhan rejected his plea.
A mathematics teacher, Bhoi said he was left with no choice but to go to work without any medical treatment because of financial constraints.
Despite his health issues, Bhoi went to school on Thursday and was even sent on official duty to the District Project Coordinator (DPC) office in Balangir. Battling fever, he also visited a hospital before returning home that day.
His condition deteriorated on Friday but he attended school with a saline drip still attached to his hand. The sight of the ailing teacher in such distress angered his colleagues and the locals.
As per the teacher, his condition deteriorated when he reached the DPC office around noon and he sought permission to visit a hospital. The principal asked him return by 2 pm. Despite several requests, the principal refused to grant leave, he said.
Even after taking medicine at night, Bhoi’s health did not improve. The next day, when he again sought leave, the principal refused saying his presence was necessary for exam preparations. Left with no choice, he received an IV drip from a doctor and reported to school in a critical state. Seeing his deteriorating health, Bhoi’s colleagues immediately sent him to the hospital.
Responding to the incident, Patnagarh Block Education Officer (BEO) Prasad Majhi said the teacher had submitted an application for casual leave to the senior authority. Since he is complaining that he was not allowed to take leave, the matter is being enquired and action would be taken if the involved authority is found guilty, he said.
