New Delhi, July 27th, 2011
The National Human Rights Commission has taken suo motu cognizance of a media report alleging that the police have occupied most of the school classrooms at Badagabapur village in Orissa and converted these schools into their fortresses to fight the anti-land acquisition villagers, who have been opposing the move of the Government to hand over their land to the South Korean Steel Company POSCO.

The Commission observed that the contents of the media report, if true, raise a serious issue of right to education of the children in the State of Orissa and in particular in Jagatsinghpur District near the proposed POSCO Steel Plant site and issued notices to the Chief Secretary and DGP, Government of Orissa calling for their reports in the matter within four weeks.

The students are scared of going to schools because of the arms stocked by the police on the premises and most of the students are not going to schools near the proposed POSCO Plant due to presence of the policemen.

Moreover, the media report also alleged that regular teachers have also not been provided by the Government in most of the schools in the State. Instead of regular teachers, the State Government has appointed Shiksha Sahayaks (Assistant Teachers) on contract basis for taking classes. Allegedly, Shiksha Sahayaks are poorly trained and ill equipped to teach the students.

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