Barkas Boys School in deplorable state

• Around 300 students study in a dilapidated building
• Chunks of ceiling keep falling posing threat to students, staff
• Authorities paint and clean up only five rooms of school
• The remaining classrooms are left untouched
• School lacks basic amenities like water, electricity and washroom
• Fans, doors, windows too missing at this school

It is one of the biggest schools in city with big classrooms and remains the only school in surrounding areas. It can cater to students from nearby areas, but appalling conditions are putting them off

Barkas: Owing to official neglect and lack of maintenance, the students of Government Boys High School here are forced to sit inside the dilapidated building which is slowly crumbling and posing serious threat to students and staff.

Chunks of roof keep falling once in a while in some rooms, even as the school remains operational with 300 students.

Running both primary and higher sections in Barkas, the school has all subject teachers. This is a big plus. But, the school is being run in worst conditions.

It has developed cracks on roofs which can fall if neglected any longer. The school lacks basic infrastructure like lights, fans, windows, doors.

In washrooms the mud and the garbage are seen piled up with no maintenance for months, deterring students from using them. In the open ground, shrubs, garbage dumps and waste scrap have been lying uncleared for quite some time.

“Recently five rooms have been painted and made clean, however, this has been done for elections. These rooms are to be used for polling booths in the upcoming election.

However, the remaining rooms have been left untouched. Several representations have been made earlier, but there has been no response from the authorities,” said a staff member on condition of anonymity.

According to staff, this official apathy has resulted poor maintenance, but owing to the regular staff in the recent years the local boys are encouraged to join the school.

The SSC results in the last academic year soared up to 80 per cent with all-out efforts by the staff, a quite contrast to the recent past. “If the school is well maintained, many students in the area would join the school and can impart education to the poor,” claimed the staff member.

The school structure was built more than 35 years back with enough space to accommodate 100 students in each of the class room, but most of the classrooms remain unutilised.

The building is ground plus one and the rooms on the first floor remain locked for some reasons. The family of the attender has been provided some space to reside on the top.

“Now the school is running in ground floor with separate sections for primary and higher students. The official negligence has transformed this 35-year-old structure to turn into a dilapidated state.

Its premises can be seen filled with garbage and swarming of stray animals,” lamented Saber Bin Awan Barrawaz, a local Congress leader.

Saber also said that the school is one of the biggest schools in city with bigger classrooms and remains the only school in surrounding areas where hundreds of students take admission each year.

But since the school remains ill-maintained, gradually the strength has dropped. “The State government is boastful of minority residential schools, but has failed to maintain the existing schools.

At least we hope that the next government would ensure revival of the government schools,” he hoped.