While 34 staffs of the District Education Department of Sundargarh district have been given premature retirement, the decision of including a 50-year-old woman teacher, who had lost her eyesight a couple of years back, has raised eyebrows.
The teacher is under severe stress after the action against her as she is the sole earning member of her family. After losing her eye sight, she was anticipating sympathy from the Government, but instead, she lost her job. Tapeswari Panda (50), who has qualification of BA, BEd, was working as a teacher in Bedhabahal Government primary school of Sundargarh district. During 2017, she had to go for surgery, after being diagnosed with a tumor in her brain.
After her surgery, she still had lost her eyesight of about 90%. But she was regularly doing her duty as a teacher and taking class in her school. There were no complaints against her from any corner in respect of her sincerity to her job. She however was included in the list of the staffs for forced retirement of the Education Department of the district.
Accordingly, she was relinquished from her job on February 17. Significantly, Tapeswari Panda's husband Ramesh Chandra Panda is an ex-Serviceman and has been sitting idle at his house, after his retirement in the year 2008. Tapeswari was the sole earning member of her family. "I am shocked and in disbelief how I was included in the list of premature retirement," said Tapeswari in her reaction.
"I was doing my job with utmost sincerity, despite losing my eyesight," she said. "Being a disabled, I was expecting some sympathy from my employer (Government) but instead I have been thrown out," Tapeswari said. "I request for a reconsideration of my case on a sympathetic ground," she added. "Since her health condition was not permitting to deliver her responsibility as a teacher, her case was recommended for premature retirement," said District Education Officer, Sundargarh, Pramod Kumar Sarangi.