Hyderabad: Students lament over dysfunctioning of science labs in schools, colleges

Hyderabad: Students from a few junior colleges, from around the City, have expressed their woes following the recent gas leak incident at the Kasturba Gandhi Junior College for Women, West Marredpally.

Students have highlighted several aspects including congested rooms, where the science labs are being run, with a shortage of lab equipment to conduct experiments.

"Our laboratory is very congested as it is functioning along with a library. Whenever we are taken to the lab, after every single experiment, we are forced to leave the laboratory to gasp a breath of fresh air adding to that is the lack of exhaust fans. We have complained several times to our concerned lecturer about this issue but all fell on deaf ears," said Y Suresh, a second-year intermediate student of Government Junior College, Kukatpally.

Riya (name changed), a BSc third-year student at St. Anne's Degree College for Women pointed out, "Our lab functions in a cramped space, making it tough for us to stay longer to complete the experiments, owing to which, we sometimes have to conduct our experiments in the playground. There was no one to assist us during the experiment and in a recent incident while conducting an experiment, the Bromous acid had a fall, fortunately, it fell on the ground".

Further, the situation of science labs in schools is no better, "Our chemistry lab is never cleaned, whenever we are taken to the lab we feel uneasy and also there is no proper equipment. Besides, we fail to identify the chemicals in a given bottle on the shelf as the bottles are not properly labeled, which are supposed to indicate the name of the chemical in the bottle. Glass equipment amongst others has developed cracks and has not been replaced", says Rohini (name changed), a class 10 student of Good Shepherd School, Jeedimetla.

Students Federation of India's (SFI) Medchal district vice president Rajesh Chauhan said that the problem revolves around a funds crunch and shortage of staff when it comes to government schools and colleges. "That apart, several corporate junior colleges do not have science labs. Ahead of lab examinations, students were taken to some private laboratories and explained the basics with an aim to get them passed in the lab examinations", he adds.