ZP to construct additional classrooms

Mangaluru: The Dakshina Kannada district administration has decided to identify schools which have less classrooms on priority, since the schools have been forced to teach students with makeshift arrangements.
As a result of social distancing at schools, due to the prevailing Covid-19 situation, some of the government schools are facing a shortage of classrooms. This has been accentuated as more students have been admitted in schools.
A government higher primary school in Aliyoor in Moodabidri taluk is one such example. The school has been conducting classes on the school stage and in makeshift classrooms. “The school which had about 200 students last year, now has 325 students. As a result, there is a shortage of classrooms. In order to accommodate all the students, the school development and monitoring committees (SDMC) decided to have a makeshift classroom for grade IV and VII. For grade VII, classes are held throughout the day on the school stage. Classes are held for half-a-day in a makeshift classroom for grade IV students, who are shifted to a classroom when LKG/UKG children leave for home in the afternoon,” said Devaraju, block education officer, Moodabidri. The school has seven classrooms.
Commenting on the shortage of classrooms in the district, Dakshina Kannada zilla panchayat CEO Kumar said that district administration will immediately find a solution to address this issue. “As far as the Moodabidri issue is concerned, we had sanctioned grants, but work did not take off due to tender issues. We have again initiated the process, and work will commence at the earliest. Meanwhile, we will also identify other schools facing the same issue,” he told TOI.
Malleswamy, DDPI, Dakshina Kannada, said there are two schools in the district, which are facing an issue of shortage of classes that needs immediate action. Social distancing has forced us to have more classrooms. “The school in Moodabidri has been sanctioned Rs 21.2 lakh to construct two additional classrooms,” he added.