Schools in rented buildings a study in neglect

“The school premises were flooded during last monsoon,” said Pankaj Yadav,Shiksha Mitra of Primary School,Gosaiganj Balak. “In the last one-and-a-half years,I have repeatedly requested the Education department to repair the structure or provide us with temporary tin roofs. But to no avail.”

Around 224 children from the neighbouring areas are enrolled in this school. Of the four rooms,classes take place in only one,which is in a slightly better condition.

“In some situations,when we cannot accommodate all the children,we make them sit in the verandah. There have been times when we had to ask the children to return home as there was not enough space,” said Yadav.

The doors,windows and cupboards are broken and there is no electricity. And there is no toilet either.

The authorities,meanwhile,have expressed their helplessness in this matter.

“We are aware that the school building is in a bad state. As it is a rented accommodation,the maintenance cannot be done without the permission of the owner,” said Pankaj Gupta,Nagar Shiksha Adhikari.

“Due to the absence of any other government school in the vicinity,we cannot accommodate all the children from the neighbouring areas. Even if we make the provision in other areas,the children will not be willing to cover long distances,” he added.

Functional since 1970s,the condition of the schools running on other rented accommodations in the city is no better. Of 40 such schools,only 19 are functional. The students of the remaining 21 have been shifted to schools in the nearby areas as the rented building is in a bad shape. Interestingly,a major casualty was averted in the primary school in Old Hyderabad last year,when the building collapsed after the schoolchildren had left the premises.

The condition of the primary school in Sarai Male Khan is no better. Amid the dilapidated walls and a broken one-room structure,the only teacher,Sara Begum,has given up all hope. “I have written to the Education department several times but they are yet to take note of the situation,” she said. “The roof leaks when it rains,the walls are crumbling and windows are broken. We are still managing to run the school somehow,” she said.  

Currently,around 21 students are enrolled but only 12 come to the school.

“As the school is in a terrible condition,parents do not wish to send their kids to the school. There is no electricity and no bathroom either,” she added.