Odisha Govt School’s Attendance Affected After Change Of Address

Bhubaneswar: Government schools across Odisha are facing low enrollment issues owing to parents preferring public schools for various reasons.

This, however, it is not an issue at Golabandha UP School under Rangeilunda block in Ganjam district. The school is facing a problem allegedly created by the district administration.

The school has 327 students on its roll but nowadays only 6-10 of them are attending classes daily.

The school was shifted to a new building on November 15 last year. Around 80 students attended the school on the day the building was inaugurated. However, attendance nose-dived from day two onwards, said headmaster of the school Bijay Kumar Behera.

Since the new building of the school is located 3 km from Golabandha village, only a few parents send their wards to the institution. The nine teachers, posted at the school, often sit idle as classes are seldom held, he added.

Even midday meals are no longer being served to the handful of students, who attend classes regularly, reports the New Indian Express.

A member of School Management Committee, K Babaji, said the district administration did not consult the committee before shifting the school to the new location. He said the school is now located at a place surrounded by forest. Parents are wary of the safety of their children and do not want them to walk 3 km to reach the school.

The committee had urged the Collector and Block Education Officer (BEO) to let the school function from its old location till the villagers are shifted to the new site, Babaji said.

Rangeilunda BEO Pravati Mohapatra said the school was shifted as per the orders of the Collector. She said discussions were held with the villagers to convince them to send their children to the school.