BHAWANIPATNA: The district administration has decided to serve showcause notice to as many as 1,000 primary school teachers in Kalahandi for unauthorised leave despite the need of their presence for Covid-19 duty in the district.

At a time when school teachers are being treated as frontline coronavirus warriors and assisting the Government in tackling the spread of the infection, these teachers have reportedly left their headquarters without seeking permission from the higher authorities. 

Sources said the 1,000 primary school teachers went to their native place just before the lockdown unauthorisedly. The State Government has entrusted various Covid-19 works to teachers of primary schools during the lockdown period.

Apart from carrying out door-to-door surveillance along with field staff and anganwadi and Asha workers, the teachers have been engaged in management of quarantine centres, distribution of textbooks and MDM rice to students as well as taking online classes on WhatsApp under the Sikhya Sanjog programme. 

Sources said the rest of the teachers in the district have been forced to handle additional workload due to the absence of such a large number of their colleagues. There are nearly 9,600 teachers in Kalahandi district. After being informed about the matter, district education officer Susanta Kumar Chodar has directed the block education officers concerned to issue show cause notice to these teachers and take appropriate action.