Admissions see a spike, but few school facilities are still in need of upgradation in Mangaluru

Post-COVID, admissions to government schools are increasing in Dakshina Kannada, Karnataka, for various reasons. But many of these government schools lack basic facilities. 

The government schools in Deralakatte, Kuntalaguli, Kattathila in Mangaluru and Bantwal taluk have no sufficient classrooms and teachers. 

For example, the Government Higher Primary School in Deralakatte admitted 130 students compared to 108 last year but the school has no sufficient classrooms and the children have been made to sit in halls converted into three classrooms, said a teacher. 

"In this school, English medium was introduced four years ago and thereafter, the admissions have gone up. Between Classes I to IV and VI to VIII, there are as many as 600 students in the school. There are no sufficient classrooms and furniture. A hall has been converted into a classroom and four classrooms of the high school have also been used. We have appealed to the elected representatives to provide us funds to improve the infrastructure," said a School Development Committee member.

At Kuntalaguli lower primary government school in Konaje, there are 13 students but on the first day of reopening, only four of them attended the classes. This school has only one teacher and five classes are being held in a single room. The children of migrants have not returned to this school.

Alice Vimala, a head teacher of Deralakatte school said that they are forced to advise some parents to shift their children to other schools due to the lack of facilities to accommodate them.