By ANATHA TARAI, OP
Ganjam: Puintola Upper Primary School near the entrance to Puintola village under Ganjam Notified Area Council (NAC) has long suffered from inadequate infrastructure and administrative neglect. The block-grant school, established in 1994, currently has 46 students enrolled in Classes VI and VII. Only two teachers have been posted in the school.
The school has just two classrooms and lacks an office room and a library. There is also no almirah to safely store important documents and office files. Several windows and doors are broken, while the roof is overgrown with weeds and other plants. Students lack basic facilities such as tables, chairs and other teaching materials and are forced to sit on the floor during classes.
The absence of science and geography teaching aids has also affected classroom learning. The school does not have enough fans or lighting, causing difficulties for students during summer. As a grant-in-aid school, students receive uniforms and midday meals but lack access to several other facilities. The school also has no playground or adequate sports equipment.
Students often play along the road, raising concerns among parents about possible accidents. School headmaster Bishnu Charan Pattnaik said the school does not receive adequate government funding because it is a block-grant institution. As a result, the school is unable to repair damaged infrastructure and often struggles to meet even basic needs such as notebooks and chalk, he said.
The toilet door had remained broken for a long time. It was recently repaired and replaced with a new door with the help of a resident, Pattnaik said. The school had more than 70 students eight to 10 years back. However, the enrolment has declined to 46 as the institution has faced a continued shortage of teachers and absence of basic facilities.
Parents are being forced to withdraw their children and enrol them in other schools because the required infrastructure and even minimum facilities are not available, Pattnaik said. School management committee president Anjali Pradhan, who recently took charge, said she could not comment on the matter as no committee meeting had been held since she assumed office.
Assistant Block Education Officer (ABEO) Binati Kumari Mishra said the school does not receive regular government funding because it is a block grant institution. Parent Ramachandra Palai said the school is currently functioning with the support of residents in the absence of government funding.
The government should take steps to improve the infrastructure of the old educational institution and provide students with basic facilities, he said.
