Gurukul schools sans toilets

Vizianagaram: The students of prestigious Andhra Pradesh Gurukula Schools are struggling to continue their education in the institutions. They don’t have even the dormitories, toilets, cots and proper classrooms too. Just they are studying in some sheds, which were constructed around 30 years ago. Actually, the AP government has established these separate residential schools for boys and girls in every district to provide quality education for meritorious students in 1983. As part of that scheme, residential school for boys was established at Bobbili and girls school at Tatipudi in Gantyada mandal.

Based on the merit in entrance examination, the students will get seats in these schools in either Class V or Class VIII. The students, who got seats in these schools will be provided uniforms, books along with food. As many as 1,053 students are studying in Bobbili and Tatipudi schools. Andhra Pradesh Residential Educational Society is maintaining around 52 schools in all over Andhra Pradesh.

Though the maintenance of the schools was good initially, the standards began to fall later. Even the atmosphere and school surroundings also become unbearable. The schools along with dormitories are opened in sheds. Even the toilets, dormitories also are in the sheds made of asbestos or galvanized iron sheets. The sheds ruined due and the government is not repairing these sheds and other buildings there. The toilets also got damaged and the students were forced to go for open defecation.

The students need to sit on floor and listen the lessons as they don’t have enough furniture like tables and benches. All the students are required to sleep in the classrooms as they don’t have cots, bunker beds to sleep. K Srinivas, a Class VII student from Parvathipuram said, “I felt happy to get seat here. But I am facing so many troubles here. We don’t have cots to sleep. No tables and benches to sit. We are sitting on the floor like primary school students in villages. The dormitories are completely damaged and we dare not to sleep under those sheds. We are prepared to adjust in classrooms.

All the classrooms become dormitories during the night.” Principal of Bobbili Gurukula Vidyalaya K Durgaprasad said, “We have proposed to the government to release funds to repair all these buildings. We asked Rs 3.7 crore but the funds are not yet released. We are achieving good results even in these pathetic conditions. We are working hard to provide good education by teaching but we are helpless in providing facilities like dormitories and others.”

K Chandra Sekhar, a Class VI student said, “We don’t have good toilets and we need to go out early in the morning for nature’s call. If it is rainy season, it’s very difficult to stay here as the rain water leaks from roof making rooms wet.