Madhubani (Bihar): The students of an “upgraded” school in the Madhubani district of Bihar were forced to take classes and partaking lunch in the graveyard or at the main gate of a mosque as they were deprived of enough classrooms and dining area.
The upgraded middle school Urdu of Harna Panchayat situated in Andharathadhi block of Madhubani district raises many questions over the Bihar government's tall claims about providing quality education to children at government schools in the state.
When the ETV Bharat team visited the school, the students studied sitting near the graves in the graveyard where they also ate lunch sitting near the graves in the graveyard. Some children eat on the streets while some eat lunch sitting at the main gate of the mosque and the local Idgah. The reason is the lack of classrooms.
The lack of infrastructure at the Madhubani school has persisted despite the school being upgraded to a middle school from primary in the year 2006. Despite the school's upgradation, the number of classrooms has remained constant at 2 over the years.
Sources said that in the financial year 2014-15, Rs 7 lakh was received for building construction, but due to lack of land, the funds lapsed.
School Headmaster Jagannath Paswan said that of these two rooms, one room is used as a makeshift kitchen and a store while the remaining space is used for classes and staff. During its heydays, the school boasted of 400 enrollment, which went on a downward spiral due to lack of space.
Besides 295 currently enrolled at the school, nine teachers posted at the school also have to face hardships due to dearth of infrastructure. The teachers also sit in the open on the roads and in the cemetery under the neem tree on chairs and teach the children there.
Teacher Safiqur Rehman said that in a few days, the graveyard will be fenced, which will further compound the problems. According to Mohammad Israel, another teacher, the school is built on the land of the mosque due to a lack of government land.
