Bhubaneswar: More than 80 students of Utkalamani Smaraki UP School in Cuttack’s Khan Nagar are attending classes in a cramped ward office after their nearly six-decade-old school building was rendered unfit for use because of its dilapidated condition.Located just opposite the ward office, the school building has deteriorated over the years, forcing the authorities to shift classes to the civic facility. The school caters to nearly 220 students from Sishu Vatika to Class 7. However, the limited space available at the ward office allows only around 80 students to attend classes there.The situation at Khan Nagar is not an isolated case. Across the state, several govt schools continue to grapple with ageing and unsafe buildings, forcing students and teachers to make do with inadequate or unsafe classrooms. While students in some schools continue to sit in classrooms with leaking roofs and damaged walls, in others, severely deteriorated structures have been declared ‘red zones’, with entry of children restricted for safety reasons.Teachers said the shortage of usable classrooms often forces them to combine students of different grades, compromising both teaching and learning. “Our students of all grades are currently studying in one room of the ward office. Sometimes, some students sit on the staircase for class. The space is grossly insufficient for students and teachers. We have been assured that the old school will be entirely demolished and a new one would be constructed but no timeline has been provided,” said Minati Nath, headmistress in-charge of the Utkalamani Smaraki school.Charulata Mohapatra, the general secretary of Utkal Primary Teachers Association, said in many schools, one or two classrooms, and sometimes even more, cannot be used because of their poor condition. “As a result, we are forced to accommodate students from two or three grades in a single classroom. It affects their concentration and, in some cases, attendance too,” said Mohapatra, who is a teacher in Bhadrak.At Tuhungidadar Upper Primary School in Jharbandh block of Bargarh district, the problem is more serious. At least two old classrooms on the school premises have been declared unsafe and require complete demolition. The structures are infested with snakes and overgrown with vegetation. However, school officials said there are no funds marked separately for demolition.In nearby Amthi village, five of nine classrooms in Govt UP School are marked as ‘red zone’ with portions of their roofs already showing signs of collapse. “There are at least 100 students from Sishu Vatika to Class 8 here who are all being accommodated in the remaining four classrooms. In this entire area, there are 50 to 60 schools that have damaged classrooms,” said Dibas Kumar Sahoo, the cluster resource centre coordinator.The state has around 48,514 govt-run and govt-aided schools. While the exact number of schools requiring repair or renovation is being ascertained, the school and mass education department is conducting a school safety observation week this month, during which buildings and other infrastructure are undergoing comprehensive safety checks to assess the extent of repairs and renovation required.“Repair and renovation are a continuous process and as and when required, funds are being provided by the department to repair damaged classrooms. Safety audits of school infrastructure are also held at regular intervals to identify dilapidated classrooms and take corrective measures for safety of students,” said commissioner-cum-secretary of the department, Thirumala Naik.
