Children suffer as govt schools lack amenities

Shaheen Nagar: The government schools running for the last 10 to 15 years in and around Shaheen Nagar, Old City, are lacking in basic amenities that are a must in schools. The students from poor families are forced to either attend the government schools or drop out.

These children attend government schools even if they are located far-off from their residences. The government apathy towards education to underprivileged children, especially the girls, is glaringly evident if one just visits the schools.

With no maintenance work done for years, broken glass panes, plaster coming off from walls, leaky roofs, missing desks and benches, improper and unhygienic washrooms and toilets, no electricity and missing boundary walls are some of the common problems found in every government school.

The Shaheen Nagar Urdu Medium School has around 120 students (80 boys and 40 girls). The school has no electricity and has dilapidated toilets with broken doors and no proper water facility. The school has only 32 benches for a strength of 120 students. The dilapidated school has no boundary wall due to which the school becomes a den for drug addicts, drunkards, smokers and anti-social elements during nights and holidays.

S Zainab, principal of the school, shares, "Every morning before the classes begin, we have to clean the classrooms and surroundings. Every day we clear loads of broken wine and beer bottles, cigarette butts and many other things. The locality is infamous for goons and rowdy sheeters that we are scared to even complain about this."

The Mandal Parishad Primary School (MPPS) at Shaheen Nagar has only one tap to drink water for 195 students (106 boys and 89 girls). Rafi, the school teacher said, "We requested the authorities to make a kitchen shed to make mid-day meals but all in vain. There is no proper drinking water facility for students. Only one tap is provided for the strength of 195 students."

Similarly, the Venkatapur Telugu Medium Primary school is functioning without toilets and no benches for students. There are around 160 students (70 girls and 90 boys). The students, especially the girls, are facing hardships due to lack of washrooms, they have to wait till the school gets over or go outside.

The Errakunta Aanganwadi on the other hand functions with no proper toilets and helping staff. With no sanitary staff, there is no one to clean the school premises. As a result, garbage and waste piles up and the school premises stinks with foul smell.

Also, the school runs without water facility in washrooms, and for drinking, the students either bring water from home or wait until the school gets over. Zakira, the principal of the school, says, "Students don't have benches to sit, the walls in the classroom are cracked. We are not getting rice for to cook for mid-day meals. We are grateful to Naandi Foundation for donating rice and others"