by Vikram Muthanna

While we speak of how our city’s infrastructure suffers due to the nexus of contractors and leaders, it affects even our children. Recently, I had been to a Government School adopted by Star of Mysore. A few blocks away was another Government School and I dropped in to see how they were doing. It was shocking.

The Haleem Nagar Urdu and Kannada School was started in 2010 by the Government on a generous piece of land donated by the Haleem Nagar Mosque.

After giving land, the mosque allowed the government to use an existing structure with 6 very tiny rooms as classrooms till the government built proper classrooms in the vacant land. Soon a contractor was given the contract to build and construction began. Two new classrooms were built. The money from the government was fully utilised but…

Here is the shocker. Only two of the 7 classrooms built are useable. The two classrooms built on the first floor are not only incomplete but the school better have Jack and his bean stalk as one of its students for there are no stairs to reach them! Yes, the contractor built classrooms on the first floor but no stairs ! To add, the other three unfinished classrooms have no windows, doors and one has a wall missing! And this school has 118 students from class 1 to 7! So how do they manage?

Now that’s another shocker. I saw the first standard and second standard students cramped in one classroom. One teacher teaches both the classes two different subjects and in the same period! How does she do it ? The first half hour she gives some written assignment to the second standard students while she teaches the first standard students.

When done, she gives them a written assignment and turns her attention to the second standard students who can now stop writing and start listening. This is the case even with third and fourth standard students. Only the 5th, 6th and 7th standard students don’t have a problem because they are fewer in number and can manage in the tiny classrooms! And all the 118 students from class 1 to 7 are taught all subjects by 5 teachers.

Now, the construction was in the hands of the Head Mistress, committee member and the contractor. But only the Head Mistress has been suspended; the committee member roams free and the contractor reportedly claims he could not finish his work as the government did not pay him! Who suffers? The children.

Government School construction is always a money-making scheme. That is why the government now tries to tie-up with concerned citizens and social clubs to complete school buildings by providing matching grants.

In another case of bad construction and political callousness, last year the previous MP had released Rs. 3 lakh for building a classroom at a school in Sathagalli. The MP’s office themselves chose the contractor. A few months later the structure was up, they informed. What was the structure? The contractor had built four pillars and a roof but there were no walls! At best it was not even a car shed. Yet the contractor had the gal, or should we say shamelessness, to paint “Donated by Honourable ……. MP.” It was an insult to the MP and a great disservice to the children who were eager to have a classroom.

Finally, the walls were put up after threat of media frenzy and after the school itself supplied windows and doors. Now, MLA Tanveer Sait has promised the school a classroom next to this one.

Now, this MP was considered to be “intellectually” inclined. If such a leader can be so callous and insensitive to a children’s cause, what can we expect from contractors who are walking a tight rope between giving a cut and constructing as per plan.

As far as this particular Haleem Nagar School is concerned, the biggest photograph in the front office, which doubles as HM’s chamber, is that of late Azeez Sait, the father of that area’s MLA Tanveer Sait. In fact it is bigger than Mahatma Gandhi’s and Nehru’s and former President Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed’s put together. May be, MLA Tanveer Sait is unaware about the state of this school for, if he did, he surely would have taken action, for the school is an insult to the memory of his popular father. Also since he is the one who is helping the Sathagalli School, we are sure he will do the same for this school which also is in his constituency.

Also, the other aspect of the school is that it is an Urdu school. I spoke to a few children and noticed that they knew some Kannada and no English at all. Now, Urdu is a fabulous and a poetic language, but how will it help these kids fare in this rapidly globalising India? They will be left in the lurch unable to participate in the new economy. May be the MLA can provide for a full time English teacher or at least request organisations like Pratham for assistance.

We are sure there are many such schools that are in dilapidated condition that need help. May be one of the many social organisations in city can help Haleem Nagar School to get a staircase, a wall and a few windows so the poor students can study in a good school and in a congenial atmosphere.

Our government may be deaf, but it doesn’t mean we have to be too; our government may be blind, but we need not be; our government is heartless, but we cannot be, we still have a conscience. So we must pitch in.

Who knows, there may be a gem among these 118 students in Haleem Nagar school or any other such schools, who one day may change our Nation’s fortune. We can make sure it’s for our good, or we can ignore it and wait for something bad to happen and then the society will be as much to blame as the incompetent leaders, conscience-less teachers and greedy contractors.

e-mail:vikram@starofmysore.com

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> Feature Articles  / Saturday  , September 27th,  2014