Sitamarhi: Despite the Bihar government’s commitment to improve the education system through various initiatives and reforms, there are some that fall short of expectations. A government school in Sitamarhi district is one such example.The Gadhiya Tola government primary school caters to 62 students from classes one to five. But there is only one functional room in the school, forcing students from Class I and II to attend classes in the verandah while older students from Class III, IV and V are accommodated in the single classroom.Gadhiya Tola government primary schoolGadhiya Tola government primary school (ETV Bharat)This situation highlights the stark reality on the ground, where the lack of adequate facilities stood in the way of quality education and often led parents to choose private institutions over government schools.This is demonstrated by the fact that there is a sharp fall in the enrolment from 300 children last year to only 62 this academic year.Gadhiya Tola government primary schoolStudent in Gadhiya Tola government primary school (ETV Bharat)The total number of children in the school is 62. Out of this, 18 children are enrolled in class I, 13 in class II, 15 in class III, 9 in class IV and 7 in class V.Teachers also claim to face a lot of difficulty in giving lessons to children of different classes simultaneously.
The problem persists despite complaints being lodged with concerned authorities. Although the school principal, Ashutosh Kumar, has complained about this to the top officials of the education department several times, no solution has been found so far.
“We have written to PHED. Children bring water from home. Teachers also bring water in bottles. If there is no drinking water, they go to a nearby park and drink water. Children have to take food under the open sky. A letter has been written to the Education department, highlighting these problems,” Ashutosh Kumar, Principal, Government Primary School, Gadhiya Tola, said.“Sometimes when the children feel thirsty, they go to their homes to drink water. On the other hand, the shortage of classrooms is another major difficulty,” said Naina Kumari, a student.”There is a lot of noise because children from three classes share the same class,” said Aniket, another student.