Padmapur: The government spends a lot of funds to improve infrastructure in schools. However, the Karanpalli primary school in Chandbali block of Bhadrak district is plagued by a shortage of infrastructure. As a result, children have been forced to study under trees, sources said Friday. The suffering of the kids has triggered resentment among the local people.
Sources said that there are 328 students in the school from Classes I to VIII. The school has four classrooms, out of which two are functional while the remaining ones are being repaired. Teachers said that accommodating all the students in two classrooms is impossible. Students of some of the classes are taught on the school verandah while others have to study under trees.
Following complaints from local people, a group of media persons visited the school a couple of days back to take stock of the situation. They were shocked to see 48 students of Class-VII, 40 of Class-II and 25 of Class-III sitting under trees amid slight drizzle. They also found Class-I kids attending the classes on the balcony of the school. They learned that children are being taught under such deplorable conditions for a substantial amount of time.
Guardians have expressed their displeasure over the situation which has cropped up due to the shortage of classrooms. They sought to know why classrooms are being repaired during the monsoons. When contacted, cluster resources centre coordinator (CRCC) Gorachand Majhi said that once the classrooms are repaired, things will be sorted out.