Kendrapara: In the absence of a proper school building, students of an 84-year-old Government Primary School at Ratadiakhanda village in this district are forced to study under the open sky, reports said.
All these years, the students are also taking their Mid-Day meal (MDM) under the shade of trees in the school boundary.
The school, established in 1934 accommodates around 59 students from Class I to Class V. However, it has been in a dilapidated condition with cracked walls, water seepage in walls and absence of a kitchen and proper toilets for both boy and girl students.
A villager alleged that despite repeated reminders to the district education officer (DEO) and the district administration to renovate the school building, there had been no action, forcing the students to pursue their education in the open.
As per villagers, the district authorities have declared the school building unsafe. However, they are yet to repair it.
“I have written to the Block Education Officer (BEO) and District Education Officer (DEO) many times and urged them to repair the school building. However, no steps have been taken in this regard as of yet,” Subashis Prasad Jena, headmaster of the school said.
“We are disappointed to see the students sitting on the ground in open shivering in the cold,” said a teacher adding that during adverse weather conditions such as rains and thunder, the students are asked to go homes.
The condition of the school remains neglected by officials concerned even as students come from many villages to study here.
Many students of the school said they are unable to concentrate on studies due to cacophony on the road. Teaching and learning are affected as both teachers and children are always at the mercy of the elements.
“I have appraised my seniors and the authorities recently allocated money under Sarva Sikhya Abhiyan to construct a new building. We have already selected a land in the village to build the school building at a cost of Rs 7 lakh within a year,” said Akshaya Swain, the block education officer.
PNN