Shoddy state of VMC school labs

Lack of decent laboratories has left practical knowledge of science for secondary students confined to books and classrooms in most of the municipal schools across the city. The situation is worse in the 26 secondary schools out of 28 run by the Vijayawada Municipal Corporation (VMC).

In many schools store rooms without proper lighting are being used as science labs, while in some, classrooms have been divided by a tin shade to accommodate lab equipment. Owing to lack of space for laboratories and no lab attendants to take care of the equipment, there is no lab period in the student’s time table.

The State Government, which claims for improving the educational standards in government schools, has completely failed to materialise at ground level, putting students at a disadvantage when it comes to practical lessons.

Physics teacher at Gottimukkala Suryanarayana Raju Municipal High School, said, “It is difficult to teach experiments without laboratories. For example, in physics, there is a chapter on sound, light and electricity.

To demonstrate the laws, there are experiments in the syllabus. For classes IX and X, where an integrated science module is taught to students, we don't have the requisite lab. This could discourage students from pursuing science further.”

A Biology teacher of AKTP Municipal High School, Satyanarayanapuram said, “We have all the required equipment for the science subjects, but space is a major concern. We cannot bring the students in the room where the store equipments.

Once in a while we take the equipment to the class, but we are always worried that the students will damage the equipment.” It is not possible to perform chemistry practicals in classrooms that require mixing of acids. “To use acids, we need to have a separate sink and sewerage system.

Since we do not have it, we cannot perform chemistry practical’s here,” said the teacher. T Padamaja, a Class X student of APSR Municipal Corporation High School at Krishnalanka, said, “Not having adequate space for labs is not an excuse to not hold practicals. The schools can bring the lab to the classrooms.

A temporary table can be arranged with the equipment on it. The schools can also buy CDs of practical to show on projectors or computer screens.” she said. Speaking to The Hans India, VMC Deputy Education Officer, K Durga Prasad, said that for the last three years the municipal corporation has not being allocating adequate funds for the improvement of facilities to the scientific laboratories in the schools run by VMC.

“The VMC has already sent a proposal to the State Government seeking adequate funds for improving the facilities at the municipal corporation schools. We are confident that our efforts to improve educational standards in VMC schools will yield results soon,’’ he said.

By Sistla Dakshina Murthy