Danger lurks in damaged schools in Karnataka

It is no secret that the condition of government schools in Karnataka is dire. The rate at which the schools are deteriorating is alarming, as statistics from a decade ago show that enrolment has dropped by almost ten lakhs as most schools lack basic facilities.

Every few weeks, there are reports of school buildings collapsing and non-governmental organisations taking up rebuilding works. But despite these efforts and the government earmarking a major portion of the budget for education, these schools seem to be in a constant state of disrepair.

As per statistics provided by the School Literacy and Education departments, the state has 47,608 government schools where 45.42 lakh students are enrolled. The total number of classrooms is around 2.5 lakh. Public Instruction Commissioner R Vishal said that of these, 40,000 classrooms need repairs. The government is now planning to launch Project Vivek, which aims to take up the repair of 10,000 classrooms.

“Roughly 20% of classrooms need repairs. Half of them require a major overhaul, while the remaining minor repairs. Under Project Vivek, classrooms that need repairs have been shortlisted. The list also contains schools that need additional classrooms and the number of students studying at these schools,” he told TNIE. Major repairs are those that cost Rs 5-8 lakh. 

Education department sources said the project is being taken up following a report prepared by previous primary and secondary education minister Suresh Kumar. Now, only smaller reports to gather data on schools are being repaired, while no comprehensive document, like the one prepared by Suresh Kumar, is being readied, they added.

Experts are, however, sceptical of the impact of the project. Development educationist Dr Niranjanaradhya VP pointed out that as per statistics, the state has had the lowest compliance rate of 23.6% in adhering to the norms set under the Right to Education (RTE) Act. “Because of lack of facilities, the enrolment has dipped over the last decade. While we are not against the project, it will not fix all the problems. Government schools lack facilities like water and electricity.

There is a severe shortage of teachers as well. A slight increase in enrolment is being celebrated as an achievement. But that happened only because Covid forced parents to enrol their wards in government schools. The state should work towards a more holistic approach to improve schools and the level of education,” he said.

He pointed out that the state has failed to properly implement the Act as no advisory body was set up. “Schools satisfy some, but not all the norms. The government wants to ensure play learning, but how will they do it when there are no playgrounds? It is the same story with all the facilities,” he said. 
Currently, this is how districts across the state are faring:

UDUPI
Government Higher Primary School at Poochabettu in Karkala taluk is just one example of a school in a dilapidated state. Engineers have ordered its demolition. In the meantime, children are being made to study at a nearby building and event hall as a temporary arrangement. The new building will get ready soon, sources said.

A report by the education and revenue departments states that the Udupi district has 188 school buildings that are damaged and that need repairs. In most cases, the damage is attributed to heavy rain in the region in June this year. DDPI NK Shivaraj said Rs 1.50 crore was sought to take up the repair works, but so far, Rs 75 lakh has been released. The remaining is expected to reach over the next few days. Local MLAs too have released Rs 30 lakh in each of the five Assembly constituencies in the district.

KALYANA-KARNATAKA
Of the 8,028 primary schools in Kalyana-Karnataka, 1,234 schools and 4,663 classrooms are in a dilapidated condition, according to the statistics provided by the education department.
Of the total 1,193 high schools, 237 schools and 762 classrooms are in a dilapidated condition. The highest number of 187 classrooms are in a state of disrepair in Kalaburagi, followed by 168 in Ballari, 118 in Koppal, 100 in Raichur, 97 in Yadgir and 92 in Bidar district.

Social activist Nagalingayya Mathapati said many schools in the region do not have a power connections. Figures provided by the department on the condition of toilets are not believable, he added.

SHIVAMOGGA
While the condition of schools in Shivamogga is not as alarming as in other districts, it is far from perfect. They all still need maintenance work, the education department sources said. DDPI CR Parameshwarappa said the district has 2,001 government schools and 11,842 classrooms. Of them, around 2,000 classrooms need maintenance work which will be taken up shortly.

He said the buildings were audited by engineers of the concerned departments who have submitted a report, based on which repair works will be taken up. Under a government scheme, 236 classrooms will also be constructed. The government has sanctioned funds to take up repair works in 135 schools. For the construction of additional toilets in 232 schools, a grant of Rs 5.20 lakh has been sanctioned under the MGNREGA scheme, he said.

CHITRADURGA
“We don’t know when the classroom will collapse. As we don’t have any other option, we sit in these rooms with hearts in our mouths,” said Karthik, a Class 8 student of the Government Junior College, Chitradurga.

The 76-year-old building in Chitradurga city is in a pathetic condition. The education and literacy departments have identified the school for repair works in its report sent to the government. 

DAVANAGERE
DDPI G Thippeswamy said a lot of classrooms are in a dilapidated condition and they are not suitable for conducting classes. “We have identified 72 classrooms in the district that have to be demolished, and we have sent a report to the government. It has sanctioned Rs 30 lakh each for the six taluks for repairs,” he added. 

N Doddappa, the sociology lecturer at the Government Boys Highschool and Junior College, Chitradurga, said, “We never know when the building will collapse. Our children are sitting with fear, but it is inevitable to run classes.”

(With inputs from Donna Eva –Bengaluru, Arpitha Indrappa –Shivamogga, Prakash Samaga–Udupi, Ramkrishna Badseshi–Kalyana-Karnataka, and G Subhash Chandra–Chitradurga/Davanagere)
 

It is no secret that the condition of government schools in Karnataka is dire. The rate at which the schools are deteriorating is alarming, as statistics from a decade ago show that enrolment has dropped by almost ten lakhs as most schools lack basic facilities. Every few weeks, there are reports of school buildings collapsing and non-governmental organisations taking up rebuilding works. But despite these efforts and the government earmarking a major portion of the budget for education, these schools seem to be in a constant state of disrepair. As per statistics provided by the School Literacy and Education departments, the state has 47,608 government schools where 45.42 lakh students are enrolled. The total number of classrooms is around 2.5 lakh. Public Instruction Commissioner R Vishal said that of these, 40,000 classrooms need repairs. The government is now planning to launch Project Vivek, which aims to take up the repair of 10,000 classrooms. “Roughly 20% of classrooms need repairs. Half of them require a major overhaul, while the remaining minor repairs. Under Project Vivek, classrooms that need repairs have been shortlisted. The list also contains schools that need additional classrooms and the number of students studying at these schools,” he told TNIE. Major repairs are those that cost Rs 5-8 lakh.  Education department sources said the project is being taken up following a report prepared by previous primary and secondary education minister Suresh Kumar. Now, only smaller reports to gather data on schools are being repaired, while no comprehensive document, like the one prepared by Suresh Kumar, is being readied, they added. Experts are, however, sceptical of the impact of the project. Development educationist Dr Niranjanaradhya VP pointed out that as per statistics, the state has had the lowest compliance rate of 23.6% in adhering to the norms set under the Right to Education (RTE) Act. “Because of lack of facilities, the enrolment has dipped over the last decade. While we are not against the project, it will not fix all the problems. Government schools lack facilities like water and electricity. There is a severe shortage of teachers as well. A slight increase in enrolment is being celebrated as an achievement. But that happened only because Covid forced parents to enrol their wards in government schools. The state should work towards a more holistic approach to improve schools and the level of education,” he said. He pointed out that the state has failed to properly implement the Act as no advisory body was set up. “Schools satisfy some, but not all the norms. The government wants to ensure play learning, but how will they do it when there are no playgrounds? It is the same story with all the facilities,” he said.  Currently, this is how districts across the state are faring: UDUPI Government Higher Primary School at Poochabettu in Karkala taluk is just one example of a school in a dilapidated state. Engineers have ordered its demolition. In the meantime, children are being made to study at a nearby building and event hall as a temporary arrangement. The new building will get ready soon, sources said. A report by the education and revenue departments states that the Udupi district has 188 school buildings that are damaged and that need repairs. In most cases, the damage is attributed to heavy rain in the region in June this year. DDPI NK Shivaraj said Rs 1.50 crore was sought to take up the repair works, but so far, Rs 75 lakh has been released. The remaining is expected to reach over the next few days. Local MLAs too have released Rs 30 lakh in each of the five Assembly constituencies in the district. KALYANA-KARNATAKA Of the 8,028 primary schools in Kalyana-Karnataka, 1,234 schools and 4,663 classrooms are in a dilapidated condition, according to the statistics provided by the education department. Of the total 1,193 high schools, 237 schools and 762 classrooms are in a dilapidated condition. The highest number of 187 classrooms are in a state of disrepair in Kalaburagi, followed by 168 in Ballari, 118 in Koppal, 100 in Raichur, 97 in Yadgir and 92 in Bidar district. Social activist Nagalingayya Mathapati said many schools in the region do not have a power connections. Figures provided by the department on the condition of toilets are not believable, he added. SHIVAMOGGA While the condition of schools in Shivamogga is not as alarming as in other districts, it is far from perfect. They all still need maintenance work, the education department sources said. DDPI CR Parameshwarappa said the district has 2,001 government schools and 11,842 classrooms. Of them, around 2,000 classrooms need maintenance work which will be taken up shortly. He said the buildings were audited by engineers of the concerned departments who have submitted a report, based on which repair works will be taken up. Under a government scheme, 236 classrooms will also be constructed. The government has sanctioned funds to take up repair works in 135 schools. For the construction of additional toilets in 232 schools, a grant of Rs 5.20 lakh has been sanctioned under the MGNREGA scheme, he said. CHITRADURGA “We don’t know when the classroom will collapse. As we don’t have any other option, we sit in these rooms with hearts in our mouths,” said Karthik, a Class 8 student of the Government Junior College, Chitradurga. The 76-year-old building in Chitradurga city is in a pathetic condition. The education and literacy departments have identified the school for repair works in its report sent to the government.  DAVANAGERE DDPI G Thippeswamy said a lot of classrooms are in a dilapidated condition and they are not suitable for conducting classes. “We have identified 72 classrooms in the district that have to be demolished, and we have sent a report to the government. It has sanctioned Rs 30 lakh each for the six taluks for repairs,” he added.  N Doddappa, the sociology lecturer at the Government Boys Highschool and Junior College, Chitradurga, said, “We never know when the building will collapse. Our children are sitting with fear, but it is inevitable to run classes.” (With inputs from Donna Eva –Bengaluru, Arpitha Indrappa –Shivamogga, Prakash Samaga–Udupi, Ramkrishna Badseshi–Kalyana-Karnataka, and G Subhash Chandra–Chitradurga/Davanagere)