Classes held under an open sky in Telangana's Jangaon district as school infrastructure in a bad shape

The students of Zilla Parishad Secondary School - Girls (ZPSS-G) at Gokulnagar of Telangana's Jangaon town are forced to study without a roof in the school’s playground, as all eight classrooms are in a dilapidated condition. Apart from this, the building itself, about six decades old, is in very bad shape and needs immediate attention from the district’s School Education Department and District Administration authorities.

When Express visited the school, teachers were conducting classes in the school’s playground. The 167 students from classes VI to X studying in the school don’t have access to separate labs, sports facilities or a computer lab due to the state of the buildings. Ironically, the neglected school is located just 600 meters from the district collectorate office.

Locals say they had already raised the issue and submitted a representation to higher officials and to Jangaon MLA Muthireddy Yadagiri Reddy as long ago as 2018. The MLA in turn had submitted a letter to Telangana State Education Welfare Infrastructure Development Corporation (TSEWIDC) to demolish the old building and construct a new one. But so far, nothing has been done to improve the situation.

Speaking to Express, a staffer of the school said that officials were well aware of the condition of the building, but had turned a blind eye. Zilla Parishad authorities had prepared proposals to construct a new building at an estimated cost of Rs 92 lakh and had submitted it to the concerned department for release of funds in 2018, but till now, not a single rupee has been sanctioned for the school, the staffer said.

When Express contacted Jangaon District Collector Ch Shivalingaiah, he said he had discussed the school’s condition with the District Education Officer (DEO), and the proposals had been sent again to the department concerned.