A government primary school in the heart of Yadgir city, which is also the district headquarter, has been virtually functioning under a tree for the past seven years. This school has a lot of other problems which remained unattended by the authorities concerned and the people’s representatives since its inception in 2005-06 academic year.
Children of the school at Rajiv Gandhi Nagar sit in an open-air class room under a tree most of the time in a year. The total number of students, which has been going down gradually, is 40 at present (from 1st to 5th standard). Staff and parents of students fear that the student strength may soon reach the magic figure of five making it ‘eligible’ for closure under a recent government move.
“Although the government sanctioned two teacher posts, including the head master’s post, all the five sections are managed by just one teacher,” says Mamata, who is also the in-charge headmistress of the school.
She said that if it rains, students will be shifted to a ramshackle tin shed built on the land where the school building is expected to come up.
The tin shed was constructed by members of the School Development and Management Committee (SDMC). SDMC president Hanumanth said that the shed was constructed to protect tables, chairs and blackboards provided by the Education Department. According to him, a government land was allocated for the school building and `4 lakh was also sanctioned under the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) in 2008. He alleged that despite many pleas by the SDMC members, the Education Department failed to construct the building. Parents are not ready to send their wards to the school which is running under a tree. That is the reason for decline of student strength year after year, he rued.
Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan Deputy Project Coordinator Inayath Sindhe said that the land allocated for the school was caught in a court dispute. “A petition was filed in a court claiming that the land was reserved for a public garden and the school building cannot be constructed in it. However, the court dismissed the petition recently. The construction would start soon after the city municipal council approves the construction plan,” he said.
He said that the department is ready to make alternative arrangements till the completion of new building. Though Express tried to contact, DDPI Basanna Mahanta Gowda was not available for his comments. MLA A B Malakareddy told Express over phone that he would visit the school and promised that the school will be run in a rental building.