Come monsoon, the trek to the government high school, which is 2 km from Hirebidanal village in Yelburga taluk, becomes an ordeal for the 130 students studying there.
Not only do they have to trudge along bunds on fields through the crop, they also have to figure out a way to cross a natural water tank to reach school.
In summer, the tank is dry, but with rain, it becomes impossible to cross.
“There is no approach road at all to this school. We have been demanding a road and a bridge across the tank for the last five years, but no one has heeded our pleas. Every time it rains, our children have to either stay back in school or at home because they can neither come nor go without a road or bridge,” a villager said.
Following incessant rainfall over the last few days, attendance in the school plummeted to just 20. The school has eight teachers. Deputy Director of Public Instruction G H Veeranna told Express that he will bring the issue to the notice of the state government.