After a woman teacher of Dhenkanal came under media glare for her commitment to profession by wading through neck-deep water to reach school every day, two teachers in Malkangiri district have now got wide acclaim for similar reason.
Braving all the odds and strong water current of Saptadhara river, Marianus Tete, headmaster of Gojiaguda Primary School, and Tapan Kumar Paikaray, Assistant Teacher of the school ensure that students get education every day. They wade through waist deep water of the river from Khairaput side to Gojiaguda where the school is located.
In rainy days, even things get worse with an increase in water level. Both the teachers swim to the other side of the river, Gojiaguda to reach the school.
“I don’t like neglecting my duty. The Government is paying us salary. This apart, my sole purpose is to impart teaching to my students and educate them,” said Tete.
Expressing similar views, Paikaray said, “We would not have crossed the river in such dangerous state had there been a bridge. The State Government had started work on a bridge two years back, but it is yet to be completed.”
Meanwhile, locals also have demanded that the State Government expedite the bridge work and get it done at the earliest.