Balangir's prestigious school in moribund state

Prithwiraj High school of Balangir, one of the oldest educational institutions in the State, is in moribund condition due to poor management and negligence of the authorities concerned.

Established in 1916, the school has produced more than 10 top students in HSC examination. Its science laboratory used to be an ideal one which was visited by many scholars from the State and outside.

But the school presents a different picture now. The science laboratory and library are closed and the main library has not been used for more than 10 years. There is no power supply to the school for more than four years though all outstanding bills have been cleared.

The school is running without a single toilet though it needs at least 12 toilets considering the student strength. There is no urinal even for the lady teachers. As the drainage system in the school has been damaged, water logging assumes acute proportion during rainy season. 

Due to space constraint, students and teachers face a lot of difficulties during examination. Though PWD department has constructed four new classrooms, those are yet to be handed over to school authorities.

While lack of drinking water supply is another major constraint, the students are not willing to keep their cycles in the cycle stand in the absence of adequate security measures.

Biswajit Dash, an old student of the school, said the science laboratory of the school was a modern one. “Our teachers allowed us to experiment in the laboratory. We had also computer facilities in the school,” Dash said.

Admitting the deterioration of infrastructure of the school, District Education Officer Sanjiv Kumar Singh said the library needs some new books and the laboratory upgradation. Regarding drainage and toilet facilities, he said they were trying their best for the development of the school.