It’s back to home for these residential school students

Parents worry about safety owing to poor condition of school building

Worried over the dilapidated condition of the school building, parents of students studying in Mahatma Joythiba Phule BC Residential (Boys) School at Koudipally mandal headquarters in Medak district, took their wards back home fearing that the building may collapse owing to leakage in all the rooms.

The student strength of the residential school, established in 2017, is 480. Initially admission was confined to 5th and 6th classes, but now the school has classes up to the Intermediate level.

All the 14 rooms - six with RCC roof and eight with asbestos ceiling — are in a bad shape. With water leaking in all the classrooms, there have been instances of parts of roof collapsing, and teachers and students fear to stay in the classrooms, more particularly during rainy season.

At present, classes for 7th, 8th, 9th and 10th are being held in the school, while the other classes are being conducted in another residential school located at Tuniki, about 10 km from Kowdipally. Each class has two sections with a strength of 40 students.

AT present 286 students are studying in the school. Following rains, some students have been shifted to a nearby tribal residential school. Sometimes, they have been asked to stay at the sheds constructed by a local political leader, while the teachers arranged some lights.

With heavy rains lashing the State for the past few days, parents have approached the school authorities and have taken away their wards to home fearing for their safety.

“Parents came to the school and took the children home stating that they will be sent back only after rains subside and the buildings are safe. There is nothing wrong in the parents fears when the school buildings are in ‘dilapidated condition,” an official said on the condition of anonymity.