Educational institutions have been created to nurture youngsters and inculcate a sense of ownership of the institution that shapes their future and hence treat it with utmost respect. Over the years institutions became a symbol of respect but there has been a continuous decline in their stature fuelled by neglect and utter disregard of the place which is often compared with a temple.
Nonetheless, the temple of education tells a sordid tale of insult marked all over their walls and corners. Thanks to the open violation of guidelines prohibiting setting up a gutkha and paan shop in the radius of 100-metre students, although not all of them, enter premises with mouth full of gutkha that eventually ends on painting a portion of wall or discolouring a corner.
“Who will stop themIJ They are not children anymore so cleanliness must come to their mind naturally. They are arrogant and start arguing even on petty issues. So, we don’t say anything to them,” said a staff of Gossner College.
The lack of discipline is matched equally by ignorant housekeeping staffs as for them the job is not more than a routine affair done in the morning and includes only cleaning toilets and not the walls or corners. If Swacch Bharat Abhiyan would fail at around dozen institutions of repute in Ranchi then the blame must be shared in the same proportion by administration of the institutions for their failure to mend the behavior of students.
Cleanliness is yet to kick-start at Ranchi University despite the varsity getting a letter from the University Grants Commission to start the drive to get rid of garbage and stench from urinals. The university received the letter on October 9 yet conditions are far from hygienic. “They (administration) don’t have time to take care of these activities. The water cooler situated in the examination building is surrounded by spits which is never cleaned,” said student union leader, Kumar Roshan.
Ironically, like government offices even colleges lack a proper plan for use, reuse, disposal and storage of broken and unused furniture. Chairs with only steel frame, three-legged desks and chairs are a common site at all colleges. With a remarkable similarity almost all colleges have an unofficial corner and place to dump unusable items with no one concerned about the best use of the garbage generated.
But repulsive urinals and toilets are still the worst managed place in an educational institution. Interestingly, neither a student complains about the pathetic condition of toilets nor administration is interested in improving condition of toilets. State of cleanliness is pitiable as most of the colleges are closed due to vacation and failed to start cleaning drive under swacch bharat abhiyan.
“Toilet remains closed and no one even tries to get it opened as it is not fit for use. It is soiled to the extent that even passing-by toilets would make people vomit. There is no swacchta despite entire country talking about swacch bharat,” said second year student of Geography at Ranchi College, Paras Kumar.