School kids read under open sky in Gajapati

Photo Courtesy: Kidsblog, Kerala

PARLAKHEMUNDI: Six decades of independence already passed and now days our country helps European countries by providing billions of dollars, but our Government yet to afford a good school building and Anganwadi centres for which tiny tots lose life under the rubble of the collapsed Anganwadi wall. It can be pointed out from the incident of a primary school of Ranipentha village under Kasinagar block in the tribal dominated Gajapati district, where the students were taught under the open sky.

The school building, which was constructed on June 2, 1908 at the Ranipentha village, is now roofless and counting the days to fall down. The school teachers finally decided to teach the students on the verandah of the outdated school and under the open sky due to lack of safe school building. During the rainy season and summer season, the students are facing difficulties to attend the classes, said the parents of the school students.

Fund was already sanctioned by the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) four years back to construct a new building for the school, but that is in vain. If the condition of the school, which is very near to the district headquarters, is so bad, what will we say about other interior schools, questioned a villager of Ranipentha.

The villagers went many offices to draw the attention of the concerned officials, but that could not help them to sort out the problem. When contacted to Kasinagar block School Inspector Rabindra Panda, he could not do anything as the school is under the nearby High School. Four years already over, but the school work could not be started yet and ‘when it will start?’ is an unanswered question for many parents of the school children.