30-odd students shifted to a makeshift room; concerns raised over close proximity to Khushawati river
THE GOAN NETWORK
QUEPEM
While two government primary schools in Kudchirem-Bicholim have been without a roof when classes began for the new academic year on June 6, the situation has been no different at Government Primary School (GPS) in Kumbar Wadda, Sirvoi-Quepem.
The Shirvoi GPS is not only without a roof, making it impossible to conduct classes but the 30-odd students have also been moved to a makeshift room which lacks a compound wall and is in close proximity to the Khushawati river, raising strong concerns among parents and locals.
What has angered parents, villagers and activists is that the repair work which began sometime in December 2018 has reportedly come to standstill after the school roof was removed by the contractor.
As the State received its first shower, parents and locals have now voiced concerns that the school building which is without a roof would be constantly exposed to rains. “What has angered parents is that classes for children are shifted to a one-room shed of a Mahila Mandal, which is more of a storeroom with stacks of plastic chairs, religious ornamental decorations, ladders, decorated wooden poles and school benches,” said Shivyoddha Sangharsh Unit (SSU) South Goa president Christanand Pednekar.
“There are 30 students from Standard 1-4 and there is no proper place to sit, no ceiling fans or electric light fixtures for illumination. The roof is covered with fragile cement sheets, which results in it becoming like a baking oven,” he added.
Ward Councillor Rashmi Modak also highlighted few safety issues at the makeshift classroom. “The most dangerous part is that the makeshift classroom is in close proximity to River Kushawati and there are no safety barricades or walls which could protect the children during monsoon. There is no proper access to this makeshift classroom and it is in a dirty and unsafe surrounding, with laterite stones lying all around the structure. The safety of children is of prime importance to us. We demand that classrooms be shifted to a decent place where children can have a school-like environment with all basic amenities,” said Modak.
Some parents had contacted Pednekar and requested him to look into the issue of incomplete repair work on the roof. Pednekar and his SSU office bearers later inspected the site to take stock of the stuation.
“A person informed us that an officer from the education department had gone to inspect the repair work. When some members raised concerns about repair works abandoned by the contractor, the official told them that it was not the only school which is incomplete, but there are five more schools where works are still pending,” said Pednekar.
“It is believed that the contractor has abandoned the work due to some dispute over pending bills and it is a situation like who will blink first. In such a situation, the contractor will not lose anything, but the school building will get damaged and will
be a waste of public money due to negligence of the education department,”
Pednekar added.
SSU member Vinesh Prabhudessai said their association tried to contact education department officials.
The ADEI later convened a meeting with Modak, parents, villagers and SSU members, when he went to inspect the repair work. During the meeting, a letter signed by over 20 parents, villagers, SSU and Modak was handed over to the ADEI, demanding that the students either be shifted to a better place within seven days and to provide transport to and from the new location or else, the school roof
and school be repaired within that time. The ADEI assured to look into their grievances and demands.
