Leaking roof hampers classes at Khariguda School, students battle rainwater inside

Water leaking from the classroom roof has disrupted teaching at Khariguda Upper Primary School under Mohana block in Gajapati district. Such a picture of mismanagement has emerged from the school where around 243 children are enrolled from Class 1 to Class 8. 
The situation worsens every time it rains, as water seeps into all classrooms, making it difficult for students to continue their lessons. It has been alleged that it is not possible to sit and study inside the classrooms due to the constant leakage from the roof.

Students Sit In Muddy Classrooms

One of the students of the school, Prasenjit Raita said, “Water is leaking from the roof of our classroom, all of our books and clothes get soaked while sitting inside there. The halls get very muddy because of this, and it becomes impossible to sit on the classroom floor and study.”

Headmaster Blames Substandard Work

“Before this summer, the Panchayat had taken over the work of the repair, and they gridded the roof. However, due to substandard work, water started to leak through the roof when it started to rain. Students have been complaining about their books and clothes getting all dirty. They cannot even sit to study. I took this matter to the Sarpanch twice and even brought them over to the school to see the situation firsthand. I then told them that if they do not fix this issue immediately, then I will talk to the BDO. Following this, the Sarpanch had assured me that I do not need to visit the BDO, and the work will be taken care of. However, it has been nearly two weeks, but no work has been done,” alleged Purnachandra Jena, Headmaster of Khariguda Upper Primary School.

Block Education Officer Assures Action

Responding to the complaints, Narendra Behera, Mohana Block Education Officer, said, “The student population in Khariguda is higher. The work of building new classrooms is already underway. We were informed that classrooms had cracks, and roof gridding work was done. However, we couldn't know whether the work done was good or substandard; it was only after the onset of rain that we figured this out. I did not know about this earlier and found out about it today. I will also inform the BDO regarding this matter.”