Students walk a km daily for MDM as school lacks infra

Rayagada: Even as the government continues to spend crores on beautifying and renovating school campuses, ground realities remain grim in many state-run institutions.

A glaring example is the Bishnuguda Government High School under Pitamahal panchayat in Rayagada block and district, where students have to walk a kilometre daily, braving the sun and rain to have their mid-day meals (MDM).

They also face other hardships due to a lack of basic facilities in the school. The school, built in 2016-17 at a cost of Rs 50 lakh under the Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA), currently has a strength of 85 students from Classes VIII to X.

However, poor quality construction and stalled development projects have left the school in a dilapidated state, headmistress Rashmibala Padhy alleged.

The school has no drinking water supply and no proper seating arrangement for students to eat MDM, she said.

Students, irrespective of rain or heat, are forced to walk for a kilometre daily to a nearby primary school for lunch.

Several classrooms have developed cracks, while many have broken walls.

The school’s toilets lack running water, compelling students to go outside and relieve themselves in the open. Initially, the school was selected under a transformation plan during the previous BJD government. Funds worth Rs 45 lakh were allocated for upgrades.

However, due to the absence of a registered land record (RoR), the funds were returned, halting all developmental works in the school and thereby depriving students of even minimum facilities.

Earlier, a borewell had been installed near the school, which could have resolved the water crisis.

However, a local resident, who claims that the land is private, has encroached upon the land and fenced it.

A laboratory building intended for science classes is no longer in use due to safety concerns owing to its rickety condition.

Though a sanitary napkin vending machine was installed for girl students, teachers said that it remained non-functional in the absence of a usable toilet on campus.

Despite repeated complaints by school authorities, only minor repairs have been carried out, the headmistress said.

PNN

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