This school has only 8 students

DHNS

Mangalore 09 July 2010: Going to school in groups, learning first lessons of life together and playing pranks with friends, fear of seniors are all the memories one can associate with school but for the students of Dakshina Kannada Zilla Panchayat Lower Primary School of Maravoor village, it is a different experience altogether, thanks to the apathy of department concerned.

This school near Mangalore has just eight students from standard 1 to 5. These 8 students cross a railway track, trek four kilometers of footpath stretch and climb up a hill to reach the school together. Interestingly, they all play and learn together in a single classroom.

Children Kavya, Rasheeda, Jamshida, Faizal, Sahil, Joshan, Manoj and Dheeraj are studying in different classes. However, they are sitting in one classroom while the only teacher in the school takes classes for them together.

 

                   

 

There is one student each in standards 1, 2 and 3. The total strength of standard 4 is 2 and in standard 5, there are only 3 students. Though the number of students in the school kept dwindling, the officials concerned never visited the school in recent years. Speaking to Deccan Herald, School Development and Monitoring Committee President Shashikala said that none of the posted teachers, are willing to work for long since there is no proper road to the school.

 “Those who join the school either resign or go on medical leave. A teacher from Karamba Government Primary, who has been given the additional charge of Maravoor School, never visited the school. Meanwhile, a permanent teacher, who joined on Wednesday (July 7), is now preparing to quit the job. Our request is that the authorities concerned should either shift the school to other locations or appoint sufficient number of teachers,” she suggested attributing wrong location of school for the existing condition.

This school was opened in 1972 with a strength of 40 students in its first batch. The student strength, which was 27 in 2009-10, has decreased to 8 this year as many parents found it apt to admit their children to other schools.

When contacted, Mangalore Rural BEO Govinda Madiwala said that the department can take initiative to shift the school only if the gram panchayat makes a request and provides proper land. “We have already appointed a teacher and one more teacher will join the school soon,” he said.

However, the teacher, who joined on Wednesday said that she was not willing to work in the school because she sees her own dreams being shattered in this school. “I came to Mangalore with great hopes from Chamarajanagar. I did not know the fact that the school is situated in such a difficult terrain. I am scared and I do not want to work here,” she said on condition of anonymity.

Though the situation continues to be the same, the eight students of different classes continue to learn and play in a single classroom gaining ‘individual attention’ from their teachers whenever they are available.