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How do these ramshackle schools move to safer buildings without govt funding?
The basic education department has yet again sent a proposal to the state government requesting release of funds to enable shifting of 40 dilapidated school buildings to safer quarters. The government is currently paying a meagre rent subsidy of ₹25-200 where the actually rent is in the region of ₹1
Schools in Bareilly have been crying out for financial help since the past few years now, but these cries are falling on deaf ears. Yet, the basic education department has once again sent a proposal to the state government for release of funds to enable the shifting of 40 dilapidated school buildings to safer quarters. Previous reminders on this issue have gone unheeded.
According to official sources, the state government currently pays a meagre ₹25 to ₹200 per month as rent subsidy while for a school of at least 5 rooms and toilets, the current rent would be priced anywhere between Rs 15,000 to Rs 20,000, barring electricity bill, which is thousand times higher than what the government pays. Even house owners of these crumbling structures have raised concerns about the safety of children and teachers.
Block education officer Narendra Singh Pawar said, "We have sent a proposal to the state government through the district magistrate in this connection. More than 2,000 students enrolled in Class I to Class VIII are studying in 40 dilapidated school buildings. With monsoons, the risks increase all the more. These buildings can collapse any time." Due to the age of the structures, even renovation is not an option.
"The schools have been running on rented accommodations even before the formation of Basic Shiksha Parishad, in 1972, and the scanty amount of ₹25 to ₹200 is paid monthly to us. There will a big difference in rents if we are to shift to newer buildings depending on the current circle rates," added Pawar. A teacher, who wished not to be named, said, "Our school building can collapse any time and cause fatal injuries to children. Even passers-by are exposed to these risks. The state government should take this very seriously."
Meanwhile, district secretary of Prathamik Shikshak Sangh, Arun Mishra, said, "Even toilets constructed in these schools are old and in bad shape. Students have not been able to use them."
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