Paralakhemundi: Students residing in the fringe areas of Gajapati district are relocating to Andhra Pradesh and taking admission in the local schools in the neighbouring state due to lack of proper educational infrastructure and facilities in their own areas, a report said Saturday.
The matter came to the fore after as many as 24 students in villages under Gangabada panchayat of Gajapati district got themselves admitted in the schools of Andhra Pradesh. This has exposed the abject state of affairs in the educational system prevalent in the fringe areas of Gajapati district.
Residents in Gangabada panchayat alleged that the state government is not at all concerned towards improvement of educational system in the fringe areas of the state. On the other hand, headmasters, teachers and other staff of Andhra schools are regularly visiting these areas and luring people to get their wards admitted in their schools saying that the students will be given all the facilities like food and hostel, alleged Haribandhu Karjee, sarpanch of Gangabada panchayat.
Lured by their promises, as many as 94 students in the area have got themselves admitted in various schools of Andhra Pradesh. At least 24 students have relocated to Andhra schools only this year, so far. A few days back, reports surfaced that a wall of the Gangabada High School hostel sheltering 40 students collapsed following low-pressure triggered heavy rainfall in the area.
Lack of timely maintenance of the school established in 1960 led to the hostel wall collapse. After the incident, the hostel inmates were rescued and shifted to the nearby cyclone shelter. Later, the school authorities turned the cyclone shelter into hostel and conducted classes for the students due to absence of alternative infrastructure.
Meanwhile, after coming to know about the development, Collector Smruti Ranjan Pradhan visited the spot and took stock of the situation. He also directed to start the school’s construction which had remained suspended.
Notably, the concerned school is the only upper primary school in Gangabada panchayat where students of Badapachidia, Manikapatna, Champapur, Burusingh, Baraghar and Sagadia villages study. Students from nearby villages have taken admission in various schools under Manjusha Mandal of neighbouring Andhra Pradesh owing to lack of hostel facilities in the Gangabada High School.
Fed up, guardians have admitted their wards in various schools at Budhaamba, Budharsingh, Manjusha and Palasa under Saba panchayat of Manjusha mandal in neighbouring Andhra Pradesh. Many of them are relocating to Andhra Pradesh as they require a resident certificate in order to shift their wards to Andhra schools.
Notably, the building of Gangabada High School was inaugurated by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, February 7, 2019. The building constructed at a cost of Rs 50 lakh has now turned into a haunted house after the collapse of the hostel wall and shifting of the whole school to the cyclone centre.
Recently, the 5T Secretary in a video conference had promised to upgrade the Gangabada High School into a smart school and subsequently works to this effect were also started for the school’s transformation into a smart school. However, the work was later stopped midway by the district administration.
PNN
