Paralakhemundi, (Tarini Prasad Panda):In a distressing development that has cast a shadow over the aspirations of differently-abled students in Gajapati district, eleven students of Classes V and VIII have been deprived of appearing in their annual examinations due to alleged negligence by the school management committee.
The incident occurred at the Maharaja Krushna Chandra Gajapati School for the Blind and Deaf at Mohana, the district’s only special school for visually and hearing-impaired children. While the annual examinations for Classes V and VIII began on March 9, seven Class-V students and four Class-VIII students studying in the institution were unable to take the examinations.
This year, the School and Mass Education Department of the Odisha Government introduced a board examination system with pass-and-fail provisions for Classes V and VIII. Question papers are being supplied by the Block Education Officer’s office only to those schools that possess valid permission and a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the department.
However, the school’s NOC validity reportedly expired in the 2021–22 academic year, and the authorities failed to renew it in time. Due to incomplete official documentation, the Block Education Officer’s office could not provide the question papers to the institution. As a result, the differently-abled students were left helplessly watching their peers appear for the examinations while their own academic future hung in uncertainty.
The development has caused deep anguish among parents, who say the future of their children has been pushed into darkness because of administrative negligence. Locals also allege that the school management committee exists merely on paper.
When contacted, the school’s secretary and chairman could not provide a clear explanation, while officials including the BSSO, DSSO, BEO and DEO claimed they were unaware of the situation.
For years, the institution has reportedly been plagued by irregularities, with no regular headmaster, assistant teachers, or staff members staying for long, forcing many to leave after brief tenures. Residents fear that the district’s only special school is gradually slipping into disorder, disrupting education and endangering the dreams of its vulnerable students.
The local community has urged the government to take immediate steps to restore order in the institution and safeguard the future of the differently-abled students.
