By SUBRAT KUMAR NAYAK, OP
Talabasta: Indira Government Primary School at Charigharia village, established in 1942 in memory of Princess Indira Devi, daughter of Bhramarbar Ray Mardaraj, the last king of Banki-Damapada royal estate, is struggling with inadequate infrastructure and administrative shortcomings.
Located along the Kataka-Banki main road under Pathapur gram panchayat in Damapada block of Kataka district, the 84-year-old school has been facing several problems despite undergoing a facelift over the years.
An incomplete boundary wall has left the school premises vulnerable, while the toilets for boys and girls are in a dilapidated condition. The boundary wall project, which began during the 2019-20 financial year, remains unfinished. As a result, the school premises have become a gathering place for alcoholics at night.
Stray cattle and dogs also take shelter on the verandah. The school has about 80 students from Classes I to VII but only two classrooms. These rooms are also used as the office, meeting hall, storage space and staff common room, frequently disrupting regular classes.
The Anganwadi centre on the school premises has been shifted elsewhere and remains locked. Parents have urged the block administration to permanently hand over the unused building to the school to ease the classroom shortage. Parent Manguli Pradhan said the move would help address the problem to some extent.
The school, which began with a thatched roof, mud walls and cow-dung-plastered floors, has undergone a complete transformation in appearance. However, its security and basic facilities continue to be neglected. A solar-powered water pump installed on the rooftop has been damaged by miscreants, affecting the drinking water supply.
School authorities have repeatedly repaired damaged facilities, but people consuming alcohol at night continue to vandalise the premises. Five assistant teachers are currently working at the school. Jayasen Mohapatra has been serving as the acting headmaster since 2014, but the institution has not had a permanent headmaster for the past 12 years.
Assistant teacher Sarat Chandra Nayak said students’ education is frequently affected because teachers are assigned various government duties, leaving less time for classroom teaching. After construction of a new school building under the 5T initiative, Rs 2 lakh was sanctioned in 2023-24 for renovating another building.
However, no government funds have been received for the school’s development in the past three years, acting headmaster Mohapatra said. The school is located alongside a road, but its boundary wall remains incomplete.
Even the existing portion of the wall is too low to ensure adequate security. As a result, parents are reluctant to send their children to the school, fearing for their safety. The absence of toilets for students and the installation of a drinking water hand pump outside the boundary wall have also emerged as major concerns, said Sanjay Kumar Sahu, president of the school management committee.
Block Development Officer Anshuman Dash said proposals submitted for the school during the current academic year would be considered for funding and work orders would be issued accordingly. More than 150 students were enrolled at the primary school in the past.
However, enrolment has declined over the past few years following the opening of another private school in Charigharia village, Dash said. Damapada Block Education Officer Chinmaya Kumar Mohapatra said he had visited the school after recently assuming charge.
He said he would take up the matter with senior departmental officials to ensure completion of the unfinished boundary wall and improve the school’s environment.