Deoria school open for last 1 month, finds probe after photos go viral

“Due to other engagements, I could not look into the inquiry report sent by Gyan Chand Mishra. I have been told that he has recommended the suspension of the school’s headmaster. After going through the report, I will soon decide on the recommendation,” said Deoria Basic Shiksha Adhikari Prakash Narain Srivastava.

“In the photograph, children were seen sitting on the verandah, and their books are open in front of them. To verify those photographs, I went to the school and found it was locked. I checked the background present in the photograph and found it was the same school building. I called up the headmaster, and asked him to immediately reach the school. In the meantime, I spoke to locals and came to know that students had been coming to the school since the last one month,” said Mishra.

During preliminary inquiry, ABSA claimed to have found that the assistant teacher and “Shiksha Mitra” teacher were taking classes. The school reportedly ran till 1 pm on the days it functioned.

“I also came to know that the headmaster was forcing the two to hold classes. The headmaster did not stay in the school when the classes were held,” Mishra added.

When contacted, village chief Ishrat Jahan’s husband Aftab Alam said the children had gone to the school on coming to know that uniforms and bags were being distributed. “I think someone has deliberately made a false allegation against the school staff. Inquiry officer recorded the statements of the local residents,” he added.