Hatadihi: On one hand, the state government has decided to close down 966 primary schools in Odisha where the student strength is less than 10 (earmarked as poor strength), from the current academic session.
On the other hand, there are numerous schools like Sridhar Nodal Upper Primary School of Barigaon village under Samana panchayat of Hatadihi block in Keonjhar district which are running either in dilapidated buildings or in open air.
Shockingly, 112 students of this school who are studying in Class I to Class VIII seem astray. Such schools reflect a gloomy picture of the widely acclaimed Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) of the government which aims at universal elementary education.
According to sources, the school has just four teachers, three classrooms and one office room. The precarious condition of the classrooms adds to the woes of children in the rainy season.
Most of the time, students sit either in open air or under trees and the classrooms have no doors and windows. As a result, they give free access to stray cattle, poisonous snakes and miscreants. Classroom walls have large cracks and the building is surrounded by weeds and shrubs.
Furthermore, the school has neither a kitchen nor a compound wall. The mid-day meal (MDM) is cooked in the office room. As there is no toilet for students or teachers, girl students and lady teachers are facing problems. The school has no power supply and its only tube well provides polluted water.
When contacted, Sridhar Nodal UP School headmaster Biswanath Mishra said, “Higher authorities have already visited the school. We are running the school here with difficulty.”
PNN