By Susant Kumar Sahoo, OP
Anandapur: Manoharpur High School in the tribal-dominated Anandapur block in Kendujhar district is in a state of neglect, with students forced to study in unsafe classrooms.
Concrete chunks have been falling from the classroom ceilings, while rainwater enters the rooms and accumulates on the floors. Students continue to attend classes despite the risks.
The school also faces a shortage of teachers which has affected teaching. The school’s drinking water is another concern, with muddy water reportedly coming from the hand pump. The toilets are unclean and cannot be used, residents said.
Villagers have repeatedly brought the problems to the district education officer’s notice but no action has been taken, they alleged.
According to residents, the school began as an approved UME school July 3, 1958, and was later upgraded to a high school. Classes continued normally from the 1993-94 academic year to 1997-98.
The school was shut down after the January 22, 1999, killing of Australian missionary Graham Staines and his two sons in Manoharpur. The school reopened in 2008, when two retired teachers and a retired headmaster were engaged to resume classes.
The school now has 70 students from Class-I through Class-VIII but only three teachers. All students are studying in a building with a damaged roof, residents said.
Concrete chunks are falling from the school roof, while rainwater leaks into the classrooms during the monsoon. The school also stands on private land, where cattle and goats are tied.
Following repeated complaints, 27 decimals of land were identified and transferred in the school’s name in the presence of Sub-Collector Nilamadhab Suna, Anandapur Block Development Officer Manoj Mohanta, Anandapur tehsildar Pallabi Priyadarshini and the local revenue inspector.
A new classroom has also been constructed on the site. However, the school has not been shifted to the new building because a toilet, electricity connection, kitchen and boundary wall are yet to be provided.
Headmistress Prangya Paramita Saha said the school received Rs 5,000 under the composite grant in 2023-24, which was used to repair the kitchen. Another Rs 25,000 received in 2024-25 was used to install a new submersible pump in the tube well. Of the Rs 9,000 received in 2025-26, Rs 7,000 was spent on repairing the tube-well platform and gate.
School Management Committee President Sudarshan Hansda and members Simili Hansda, Ramachandra Murmu, Ranjita Patra and Sita Hembram said the school’s problems have neither been resolved nor has the new building been made ready for relocation.
They said the old roof plaster is deteriorating and could fall on students or staff at any time, causing injuries. They urged authorities to address the issue immediately.
Anandapur additional block education officer Hemendra Nath Mohanty said the matter has been brought to the attention of the district education officer.
