Nayagarh: Over last 14 years, students of Pathuria Project Primary School have been studying on the verandah and having mid day meals sitting by the roadside.
The school is located in the Nachhipur panchayat of Dasapalla block in this district.
Around 48 students study between Classes I and IV in this school. A male teacher and a female teacher manage five classes.
There is a village recreation house where both the school and the Anganwadi have been operating for 14 years. The school starts after the Anganwadi children, who come to the centre at about 8 am, leave after having food. As the room cannot house all the children some sit outside. At the time of mid-day meals all students come to the roadside. During rain the problem of these children can be imagined.
“While at some places school buildings have turned haunted houses after being locked up for years due to poor attendance, here attendance provides hardly any advantage,” a villager complained.
Headmaster Niranjan Behera refused to comment on this. However, inquiry reveals that the village had received money for the school building. But the fund could not be used due to some problems of the contractor. In 2009, a villager donated land for the school and construction of the school building is going on now.
Despite repeated attempts to contact DEO Abhay Kumar Mallick over his mobile number to know the present status of the school building, he could not be contacted as his phone was switched off.
Villagers have urged the Collector to intervene and take steps to mitigate the children’s problems.
