Karnataka: Open stage turns classroom at this government school in Puttur

MANGALURU: Classes for students at a government school in Puttur are conducted at an open stage and verandah, as all classrooms are dilapidated and have been declared unsafe.
Seven classrooms at the zilla panchayat higher primary school, Manikara were declared unfit for use after officials from the department of public instruction and engineers inspected the school and submitted a report. The school has 82 students.
Headmistress Vishalakshi said in 2019-20, the department had declared seven classrooms of the 62-year-old school in a remote village in Kolthige unfit. Following this, three rooms were demolished in January. As there are no rooms available, the nali-kali classes for students studying in classes one to three are being held in one room and the rest of the classes are held in the headmistress’s room.
“With no sign from the government to construct classrooms, two of donors including a school alumnus have come forward to construct two classrooms. The work is in progress and may take a few months to complete,” said Vishalakshi.
Parents complained students were falling sick as classes are conducted at the verandah and open stage. Soumya, a parent, said children were forced to sit on school verandah and as a result, they fell sick after attending classes in the open due to heat. “The authorities must make alternate arrangements for the safety of these children as monsoon is nearing.”
Another parent Sumitha, whose two children study in the school said that her children were unwell after getting drenched in the rain in the school and they could not attend classes for four days. “I have decided not to send my children to school until the government provides basic infrastructure,” she said.
School development management committee (SDMC) president Abdul Raheem said they have written to the MLA, MP and DDPI of Dakshina Kannada but have not received a positive response so far.
“Since the classrooms are dilapidated, we shifted the students to a small stage last year. It is cumbersome to conduct all activities including midday meal preparation due to space crunch,” he said.
BEO Puttur Lokesh C said the school has no classrooms at all. Currently, classes are conducted in the available space. The department has sent an estimate to the DC’s office for the construction of two more classrooms, which is likely to be approved next week.
There is also a proposal from the zilla panchayat to construct a temporary setup to facilitate classes..