SUSHANTA KUMAR SAHU, OP
Anandapur: A government primary school at Balipashi under Shalabani panchayat in Anandapur block of Kendujhar district is functioning amid several problems, including leaking classroom roofs, a damaged boundary wall, poor sanitation and the absence of a proper road to the school. Located in a tribal-dominated area, the school caters to children from nearby villages.
It currently has 27 students and two classrooms, with two teachers, including headmistress Lakshmipriya Kahali. The roof of both classrooms reportedly leaks during normal rainfall, forcing children to study in an unsafe environment. The boundary wall has developed cracks and is weakening, while the school signboard has become barely legible.
Unwanted vegetation has also overgrown parts of the school premises, raising concerns about students’ safety. Parents have also complained about the quality of food served to students. A parent, who requested anonymity, alleged that children were served rice with watery dal and pumpkin, and claimed that 1 kg of potatoes was being used for nearly 10 days. The parent questioned whether students could receive adequate nutrition under such circumstances and said complaints were not being taken seriously. The cleanliness of the toilets has also been questioned. The school also faces an access problem, with the poor road reportedly discouraging parents from sending their children there.
According to the headmistress, enrolment had once exceeded 40 but has gradually fallen to 27, with some parents shifting their children to other schools. The condition of the school came to the fore when a newspaper reporter visited Friday to verify the complaints for a report under the ‘Deprived Schools’ series. The headmistress asked the reporter to leave the premises and, according to the report, sent two girl students to lock the school gate.
The incident has led to resentment. Later, during a telephone conversation, Kahali acknowledged that the two classrooms were in poor condition and that rainwater leaked through the roofs. She said grading work had been carried out two years ago. She also alleged that a villager had constructed a cowshed along the boundary wall and was discharging urine through a drain towards the school wall despite requests from teachers and school committee members to stop. She said the practice had resulted in mosquitoes, flies and a foul smell entering the classrooms, while the wall was also becoming weak. Kahali said the school receives Rs 10,000 annually under the composite grant, which has been used to repair the front gate and hand pump, paint classrooms and repair fans. She maintained that there was no water shortage and that the toilets were clean and functional. She said the school had repeatedly informed the District Education Officer about its problems but no solution had been found.
School committee president Santosh Kumar Sahu, who assumed charge 15 days ago, said he was not familiar enough with the school’s affairs to comment. Block Education Officer Harihar Dalai said he would inquire into the matter before commenting. Despite repeated telephone calls later, he did not respond.
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