Poor condition of as many as 245 school buildings have made life of schoolchildren vulnerable during the monsoon season in Nainital. This aside, as many as 368 schools are running sans the basic facilities like drinking water and electricity in this district.
The poor condition of a primary school building at Narayan Nagar would suffice to expose the extent of the apathy of the education system.
According to the functionaries of the primary school at Narayan Nagar, the school that came up in 1927 was shifted to another building in view of its dilapidated condition in 2005-2006.
But the students keep facing problems during the classes as water seeps through the walls whenever it rains. The residents of Naryan Nagar allege that despite their repeated prodding to have things repaired neither the officials concerned nor the elected representatives have cared to address it.
Meanwhile, most of the parents have shifted their children to private schools in Nainital from the Narayan Nagar primary school. Presently, less than a dozen students are studying here with two teachers and the classes are running from another building.
The district education department, officials, however, maintained that a proposal has already been sent to the State Government to renovate Narayan Nagar primary school building.
On the issue of repairing of 245 other school buildings, the officials said that repair works would be carried out in all these school buildings with the funds to be had under the district plan or the disaster management plan.
Despite the assurance, the people are not optimistic enough with the ground situations remaining grim. In 174 out of 368 schools, there is no drinking water supply and 194 of them are yet to be electrified. When quizzed, the officials said that the list of 174 schools which are running sans drinking water has been submitted to the State Government and Peyjal Nigam. They further said that requisite fund has been handed over to the power department to electrify 194 schools which are presently running bereft of electricity.
District magistrate, Nainital Deepak Rawat has meanwhile asked the district education department officials to equip all the schools in the district with the basic amenities. He has also asked the officials not to allow classes to run in such school buildings which are in poor shape with rainy season running now in full swing.