Bhabanipatana: Despite a 2014 directive from the Odisha Human Rights Commission (OHRC) and the state government instructing District Collectors to identify and demolish unsafe and abandoned school buildings, hazardous structures continue to pose a threat to students across the state, with Karlakot Primary School in Kalahandi district’s Junagarh block serving as a stark example.
The primary objective of the direction was to ensure the safety of young children studying in primary schools and provide them with a secure environment for learning.
However, 12 years later, several schools in Kalahandi district continue to operate in such conditions.
Established in 1995, the school building has deteriorated over the years because of a lack of repairs.
The classrooms are now in a dilapidated and unsafe condition.
Parents are reluctant to send their children to the school during the rainy season because of safety concerns.
The school has 44 students and provision of teaching from Sishu Vatika (kindergarten) through Class V and two teachers.
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Significantly, only three students attended classes Tuesday because of the rain Tuesday.
The deteriorating condition of the school building has caused growing concern among parents and led many students to stay away from classes.
The situation highlights the continuing gap between government directives on unsafe school buildings and conditions on the ground.
As a result, the government’s ‘Aasa Ame School Jiba’ (Come, Let’s Go to School) campaign appears to have lost its way.
The school has only one toilet for both boys and girls. Water is drawn from a tube well on the school premises and stored in a water purifier.
Students and teachers use the water every day.
The school environment is relatively better during the summer, but conditions deteriorate during the rainy season.
Rainwater accumulates in front of the school, leaving the area muddy, waterlogged and creating unhygienic and unhealthy conditions.
Construction of an additional classroom building began in 2024, but the work remains incomplete.
A Class V student said many students used to attend the school in past, but attendance has declined because the existing building is in a dilapidated and unsafe condition.
“The government should construct our school building as soon as possible,” the student said.
Headmaster Sunil Meher said everyone knows that the school building is unsafe, but no action has been taken. With no other option, classes are being conducted in the existing building.
He said completion of the additional classroom building would provide some relief.
Junagada Block Education Officer Tapan Majhi said he is aware of the school’s problems and would discuss completion of the additional building with the block development officer. Junagada BDO Debashis Kar said funds would be provided soon to complete the classroom building.
School Management Committee chairman Bijay Bisi said committee members had previously met the BDO over the problems, but no solution had been found.
If the administration or government fails to act, the committee will resort to agitation, Bisi warned.
