Karnataka: Atal residential school in Dharwad faces dearth of basic utilities

Atal Bihari Vajpayee Residential School in Dharwad is grappling with a severe shortage of facilities, raising concerns about the students’ well-being

Atal Bihari Vajpayee Residential School in Dharwad is grappling with a severe shortage of facilities, raising concerns about the students’ well-being, people familiar with the matter said on Tuesday.

Initially housed in a temporary facility in Hebballi, the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Residential School was later relocated to a rented building in Lakumanahalli. (HT Photo)

Initially housed in a temporary facility in Hebballi, the school was later relocated to a rented building in Lakumanahalli.

The current setup in Lakumanahalli presents numerous challenges for the 430 students, hailing from various districts, including Haveri and Bagalkote. The upper floor of the building hosts classrooms, with each room accommodating 20 students. The same room serves as both a classroom and hostel, forcing students to sit on mats on the floor for lessons.

The lack of proper windows and doors in many rooms, coupled with the proximity of classrooms and living spaces to toilets and bathrooms, poses a significant challenge. The situation becomes even more challenging during morning hours when students have to queue for showers and toilets. In some instances, water scarcity compounds the problem.

“Nearly 250 students studying from class 6th to 12th in the school, but the lack of a playground and shortage of classrooms cause trouble,” school teacher Prakash Addamani told HT. He said a plot has already been identified near Tegur for constructing a new building for the school, but the higher authorities planned to shift the school to the BSNL building to facilitate students. He mentioned that the present school is running in a rented building, and we could not expect more from this premises.

“Due to the congested building and premises, students are facing hardships. The authorities should take immediate steps to address it. We have raised the issue at parents’ meetings also, and the officials promised to solve the problems in three months,” Appa Saheba, a parent of a standard 7 student, told HT.

The open space in front of the rented building serves as the venue for sports activities, but garbage and waste mark the edges of the field. A concerned student has urged authorities to prioritise addressing these issues and providing essential facilities for the school.

“The school is facing many infrastructure problems as it is running in a rented building. We have sent a proposal to the state residential educational institutions society (KREIS) to shift the school,” additional director of the social welfare department, MS Allah Bakhsh told HT.

He said shortcomings in the current residential school building and highlighted plans to shift to the Department of Telecommunications building in Rayapur. But a new site was also identified for constructing a new building for the school three years ago. The KREIS has responded positively to the proposal, and we will shift the school soon, he added.