STUDENTS ARE DESTINED TO GO TO SCHOOL WADING THROUGH KNEE DEEP WATER AND MUD

Ara, 12 July 2023, (RNI): Ground realities belied the tall claims of the Bihar government and the education department to provide all facilities to students and high quality education. The students of Primary School, Bhairo Ke Madai Tola of Hetampur Panchayat under Jagdishpur block in Bhojpur district and even the teachers have to wade through knee deep water and mud to go to their schools and one can see them smeared with mud and drenched in water and they have to face such problems every rainy season due to lack of concrete road to school for the last 30 years.

Headmaster-in-charge, Hetampur Primary School, Dhurendra Kumar said that the school has five teachers including the Headmaster namely Sunita Kumari, Bindu Kumari, Umesh Kumar Yadav and Md Hadeesh Nayim to teach 101 students. Sunita Kumari and Bindu Kumari are posted there for the last 13 years while the Headmaster is there for the last seven years. He said that Tulasi Kuer and Fueshwari Devi are posted as cooks for the last 13 years.

The HM said that during the rainy season, venomous snakes and other poisonous insects are always visible on the water and not to speak of children, even teachers and elders are fear stricken. Parents risk their lives to send their children to school. He added that the Block Development Officer (BDO) has been informed about this serious problems but no action has so far been taken in this regard while lives of innocent children and teachers are involved.

A villager, Lal Muni Devi said that her two children always came back to their house from school smeared with mud and drenched in water. Another villager Chandan Kumar said that there is not public road to reach the school as this is private land and only footpath is the only support during rainy season. He said that more than half of the enrolled children do not go to school for fear of rain. Attendance remains spotty for 9 months except 3 months of the year. Parents prefer not to send their wards to school due to excessive rain, water and mud.