Sarkari schools across city stare at shutdown as rent dues mount

Hyderabad: Over 105 government schools in the city are functioning from rented buildings and because of the failure of the government to clear the rental dues, it has led to a situation where the schools are not able to create proper facilities for the students.

Since these schools are functioning from rented buildings, they cannot even take up minor repairs without the permission of the owner of the building. Though parents are showing interest to admit children in the government schools, there is no space to accommodate all the students and no steps can be taken to expand the facilities as the owners refuse to give permission saying that the government was not paying the rent. First clear the arrears is what they demand.

According to the owners of private buildings occupied by Government Primary and Secondary schools in the city, about Rs 3.39 crore as rent has been pending for past four years.

Around 105 schools, including 87 government primary and 18 high schools in city are functioning under the rental buildings and most of them are located in the Old City, including at Bahadurpura, Charminar, Asif Nagar, Tolichowki, Golkonda.

According to the sources, in November 2023, around Rs 3.49 crore was sanctioned by the Education Department to Hyderabad and Mahabubnagar districts, which included Rs 3.39 crore for Hyderabad and Rs 9,12,804 for Mahabubunagar for the financial years 2023-24, 2023-22, 2022-21 but it was not cleared and till date it is waiting for approval in the finance department.

A few owners pointed out that they are dependent on rent for their daily expenses, and that rents are their main source of income. An owner who constructed a building at Bahadurpura taking a huge loan from the bank said that he has to pay EMIs every month. “For the past four years, the government has not cleared the dues of Rs 5 lakh, so it is becoming difficult to meet ends. We are vexed with meeting officials and urging them to release the dues,” he said.

On the condition of anonymity, a staff of a government school in Old City said, “Due to non–payment of rent, officials of the school are unable to manage the owners’ wrath. Due to this, there is a continuous conflict between the headmaster and owners of the school building on some or other issues. If the state government releases sufficient funds on time then these schools will function properly and efficiently.”