The Government High school at Savarde village in Valpoi is in a dilapidated condition for the past two years. All the remote villagers are now demanding the school be converted to English medium from Marathi medium.
The villagers say their children are facing English language problem since they got admitted to the Government High School.
For the past two years, water enters into the class rooms during monsoons and the walls have developed cracks in many places. The playground has no fencing and in the absence of grass the students get injured on the rough surface filled with stones, say the villagers.
The 17-year-old was started in 1999 and in the initial years there were 50 to 60 students in one classroom with students often sitting on the floor due to shortage of benches. But now, in Std V there are 14 students, in VI 12, VII 11, VIII 11, 27 in IX 27 and in Std X has 30 with the total strength touching 105. The number diminishes every academic year.
Last year, at a PTA meeting the parents had passed a resolution asking for repairs and handed a memorandum to the Director of Education but no action has come till date.
So this monsoon the PTA has shifted students from the four leaking classrooms to a very old school building, which is also in a bad condition. Only the Head Master’s cabin, staff room and laboratory are functioning in the old building.
Students from remote villages like Sonal, Kudse, Savarde, Shir Savarde, Karmali, Kuthol, Kazaredhat and Bandir wada attend this school, covering a long distance.
“Recently at a PTA meeting we have passed a resolution to convert this Marathi High school into an English medium, says Ulhas Gaonkar, a PTA member.
“Our village Government High school building is in a very bad condition and needs urgent renovation. The condition of the building is telling on students’ education and the number is diminishing every year. Parents are now sending their children to English medium schools. So we are demanding that Government renovate the building urgently,” says Raghu Gaonkar, a villager.
“We had discussed the issue of the school building in our Panchayat Gram Sabha recently. Now we will have a meeting with PTA and discuss the problems and will take it up with the Government,” says Ashok Chari, Sarpanch of Savarde Panchayat.
The Headmistress of this Government High school is not ready to provide any information on the condition of the school building and also does not allowing any media persons to enter the school premises.
