BENGALURU: Shree Sharadamba Vidyaniketan School in Jawaregowda Nagar, Hosakerehalli, looks a lot like a dhobi ghat. Unfortunately, it is not clothes but books that have been put out to dry in the school premises. Students were in for a shock on Monday when they reached the school to find books and furniture submerged in muddy sewage water. This happened after rain led to a breach at Hosakerehalli lake over the weekend.
Among the casualties were notebooks, certificates, receipt books, furniture and computers, all worth approximately Rs 3 lakh, according to the school. The compound wall of the school also collapsed. While the school may have been flooded over the weekend, students and teachers knew about it only after the school opened on Monday.
A staff member said that the school declared a two-day holiday to clean up the premises. Though the higher classes are functioning, holiday was declared for LKG and UKG students till Wednesday. Books are now being dried up in the Sun with everybody taking turns to turn the pages. "The sight of damp and destroyed books was a big heartbreak for the students," a parent said. The school authorities have reportedly been asked by the Education Department not to speak to the media about the flooding.
The authorities recently held a meeting with the Education Department officials who visited the school. “We just had a meeting with the education board and they told us not to give out any information to the media as it might spoil the reputation of the school,” a staffer told TNIE.
Interestingly, while reporting the incident some media channels showed a wrong school, which led to a lot of confusion. Kesari HS, principal of Shree Sharadha Public School told TNIE, “This is not the school that has been flooded. Many news channels have mistaken this school as the one and have been coming here. I am tired of explaining to them.”