Education Still Suffers In Odisha School Damaged By Cyclone Titli

Ganjam: Government's flagship programme Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan which aims to provide universal education to children seems to have fallen flat in Bishnupur village under Surada block in Ganjam district.

The primary school at the village is running from a community hall for the last two years after the school building was ravaged by cyclonic storm Titli. The community hall does not have adequate rooms. As a result, students of Class I to Class V are forced to attend their classes under a single roof.

According to sources, the school building at the village was constructed in 2004 at a cost of Rs 3 lakh. In 2018, cyclone Titli had caused extensive damage to the school. The roofs and walls of the school building developed cracks. Subsequently, the district education department reportedly declared the building unsafe, but did not take any step to repair the building.

“Our school building is on the verge of ruin. The community hall does not have adequate rooms. We face multiple problems while attending classes,” said Alisa Gouda, a student.

Also Read: Can’t We Get Assistance For Our Dilapidated School Building: Students Ask Odisha Govt

Biranchi Narayan Achary, a resident of Bishnupur said, “The school building is not in a condition for conducting classes. It may crumble anytime.”

“Many children are taking admission in nearby schools due to the bad condition of the school. If the government sanctions funds, new buildings can be constructed,” he added.

The school authorities admitted that the damaged school building has severely affected the education and clarified that the higher-ups have been intimated about the issues.

“The education has been affected due to the dilapidated building. It is very difficult for students to seat in a single room and attend classes,” said Chinmayee Nayak, a teacher of the school.

When contacted, block education officer said efforts will be taken to construct new school building at the earliest.

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“In the last BRM meeting, we held discussion with the block development officer in this regard and collected data from cluster resource centre coordinator (CRCC). We are planning to construct a new school building soon," said Suroda BEO Bijay Kumar Pradhan.

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