Odisha students attend classes in goat shed as rural education faces serious crisis

Students of Thakarsahi Government Primary School under Jadida panchayat of Kaptipada block in Mayurbhanj district are forced to study in a goat shed, thanks to the lack of a school building and classrooms.

In the absence of proper infrastructure, the goat shed is the only option. The students are forced to study in one corner with goats bleating on the other side. The goats can be seen jumping around and eating the books of the students, with a filthy smell of urine everywhere.

Interestingly, the goats are tied to the tables and chairs of the school teacher, bleating all the while. Not just one or two years, this has been the condition for the last 14 years. With no school building in the village, teachers are conducting classes in the goat shed.

A school building, sanctioned by the Odisha government, has been lying incomplete due to the negligence of the contractor and the concerned officials. Despite repeated complaints, officials are least concerned about the future of the students.

With no other option, a kind-hearted local has given permission to run the school in his goat shed.

“We cannot even drive away the goats while the students study because it is his goat shed. So, the students are forced to study in the presence of the animals. It can be managed during summer, but during rainy days, we have to keep the goats here,” said the teacher Rabindra Mahakud.

“We have appraised the officials concerned. But, they are only giving fake promises,” he added.

When contacted, Kaptipada BDO confessed that he was well aware of the situation and promised to take appropriate actions in the completion of the school building.

“The school building is incomplete due to the ongoing rain and road connectivity problems to the village. They have assured to complete it as soon as the rain stops. I’m trying my best to do something in this regard,” the BDO said.

Similarly is the plight of students of Bilaspur Upper Primary School in Boudh district. The school building, made of asbestos roof, is on the verge of collapse, with severe leakage during the rains. Students attend classes putting their lives at risk as the dilapidated school building may collapse anytime soon.

Accommodating 126 students from Class I to VIII, the school exposes the serious crisis in rural education in Odisha.