Daringbadi: Studies at various schools in tribal dominated Daringbadi block of Kandhamal district reflect a picture of neglect and administrative apathy as over 260 students of a primary school are forced into sitting in two rooms of the school.
The Chhadakhia Upper Primary School under Daringbadi panchayat where over 260 students of eight classes get squeezed in two rooms due to lack of infrastructure is a case in point.
The school has classes from one to eight. The number of students is expected to rise in future as the admission process is on. The headmaster recently shifted some of the classes to a hostel room and to the verandah after students and their guardians complained of uneasiness.
However, the problem is yet to get over as the students find it difficult to study on the verandah in summer. All attempts by the school authorities to air their grievances before higher-ups have fallen flat while parents seem to be clueless.
This apart, boys are forced to use a single toilet which is in a rundown condition while there are no arrangements for girls. As a result, they are forced to relieve themselves in open.
A building for the classroom is being constructed under the supervision of Integrated Tribal Development Agency (ITDA) in Baliguda at an outlay of Rs 9 lakh, contractor Lokanath Digal said.
When contacted, Digal said no availability of sand for the masonry works has delayed the completion of the building. However, he assured to complete the construction soon.
Headmaster Bhaskar Singh said the lone classroom will not solve the infrastructure problems of the school as there is an urgent need for six more classrooms.
A compound wall around the school premises, a tube well and an overhead tank for drinking water, separate toilets for boys and girls and filling up the vacant posts of science, Sanskrit, Hindi and games teacher are also demanded.
Giridhari Padhi, cluster resources centre coordinator (CRCC) said the administration is taking steps to resolve the problems of the school. PNN
