Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], September 19 (ANI): An acute classroom shortage at the Government High School and Primary School in Askihal village, Raichur district, has forced students to study outdoors, with mainly the primary section facing the brunt of the crisis.
The school runs in a double-shift system; upper primary classes run from 8:30 AM to 12:30 PM, followed by over 180 primary students from 12:30 PM to 4:30 PM. Consequently, many children are forced to sit on the school premises to study in every weather condition, a student told ANI.
Highlighting the gravity of the situation on the ground, Mohsin Khan, speaking to ANI, said, “I am Mohsin Khan, South Zone Coordinator. We have come here to visit the school. Today, our Karnataka team visited a school in Askihal village in Raichur. Coming here, we saw that 18 months have passed since the school building was demolished, but reconstruction work has not even started yet.”
New classrooms were sanctioned a year ago; construction is yet to start, and no temporary shed has been provided, a student said.
A student named Poornashree said, "We need new classrooms soon. Toilet facilities are also not proper."
Apart from infrastructure, a high-voltage electrical system next to the school lacks proper barriers, with no compound wall at the rear side of the school.
Local activists and parents have urged authorities to visit the school and address the issues immediately.
Earlier in September, Karnataka Chief Minister DK Shivakumar directed elected representatives and officials to listen to and address the problems faced by minority communities in their respective jurisdictions.
He also directed officials to expedite the implementation of various schemes announced in the Budget, including upgrading Maulana Azad schools on the lines of Karnataka Public Schools (KPS) and starting women’s colleges.
The Chief Minister said a committee headed by Rajya Sabha member Mansoor Khan had been constituted to examine issues related to minority education.
He said separate committees had also reviewed the food facilities in minority hostels. The committee for North Karnataka, headed by MLA Yasir Pathan, and the committee for southern Karnataka, headed by MLA Bilkis Bano, had toured the regions and submitted their reports.
“Action will be taken based on these reports,” Shivakumar said.
It was also decided to introduce, on a pilot basis, student-managed messes in select hostels to improve the quality of food and management of hostel facilities.
The Chief Minister directed the department to ensure that all well-designed schemes and programmes are implemented within the stipulated timeframe.
In August, the Karnataka government constituted a five-member Cabinet Sub-Committee to examine issues faced by students and recommend comprehensive reforms in the education sector, with Health and Family Welfare Minister U T Khader appointed as the chairperson of the panel.
According to an official memorandum issued by the Karnataka Government Secretariat on Wednesday, the committee has been constituted following the Cabinet decision taken on August 21.
The committee comprises Higher Education Minister Basavaraj Rayareddy, Home, IT and BT and E-Governance Minister Priyank Kharge, Medical Education and Skill Development Minister Sharan Prakash Patil, and School Education Minister Madhu Bangarappa as members.
The committee will also examine issues related to the cost of education, regulation of fees charged by private educational institutions, oversight of coaching centres, and steps to reduce the financial burden of education on students and their families.
The panel will review infrastructure and quality in public educational institutions, including measures to strengthen government schools, Pre-University (PU) colleges and universities. It will also examine issues such as teacher vacancies and the availability of essential facilities, including laboratories, libraries, hostels and other infrastructure.
Furthermore, the order stated that the committee will hold consultations with stakeholders, including students, parents, teachers and educational institutions across Karnataka. It may also seek assistance from subject experts from respective fields to assist in the exercise.
The committee was asked to submit its report within one month.
The Higher Education Department will serve as the nodal department for the Cabinet Sub-Committee, as per the Karnataka Government (Transaction of Business) Rules, 1977. (ANI)
"We need new classrooms soon": Students attend classes outdoors in Karnataka's Raichur amid classroom shortage
