HODIKE SHIRUR (UTTARA KANNADA): Students of a government primary school at Hodike Shirur, which is 8km from Honnavar town in Uttara Kannada district, are forced to draw water from a well and carry it to the toilets. They are also forced to fetch water for drinking purposes, too.
As photographs and videos of the plight of students went viral, the school and district authorities drew the ire of students’ parents and local residents. But school authorities dismissed the charges, saying these were temporary issues that have cropped up because of damaged water pipelines. The students are said to be carrying water from a well that is 100 ft away from the school.
Though the school claimed it was a temporary problem, local residents said the children have been doing this for the last couple of months.
One of the parents, who wished not to be identified, said, “This is pathetic. We send our children to the school to study. They are doing everything except studying.”
Parents flag hygiene and safety flaws in school
Another parent was unhappy with cleanliness at the school, pointing out that everything is done by the students. “They feed the children mid-day meals at the school. But the kids eat in unhygienic places,” she added. She pointed to an electric cable hanging near the well, saying “The safety of our kids is important.”
The parents said the roof has blown away whenever there was heavy wind. The parents complained that the school has not been maintained, while classrooms have remained unswept. The school also lacks adequate furniture. A School Development and Monitoring Committee member, who identified himself as Patgar, said, “It is just politics at the school.
A teacher who came to the school recently has been the source of the problem. She is the one who recorded the video. The issues raised in the video are temporary.”
The school has 36 students, but is managed by just four teachers, of whom two are guest faculty. Latha Nayak, Deputy Director Public Instruction (DDPI), Karwar, said she has sent the local block education officer to assess the situation. “He visited the school and checked the problem.
The children were carrying water. But this is a temporary problem. The water pipes are damaged and there was no alternative. I instructed the DDPI to get it repaired soon,” she told Express.
But locals pointed out that the school has been facing issues for many years. In 2020 too, there were media reports about the pathetic state of the school.
_____Subhash Chabdra NS