Korukonda: The happiness of returning to school after a long gap vanished for students of Government High School in Neelakamberu panchayat under Korukonda block in Malkangiri district after they were made to sit in open for classes Friday.
The teachers took their classes in the open as well. Such a situation came to be as the classrooms, that had become part of a quarantine centre set up here, was yet to be handed over to the school headmaster.
The government along with announcing reopening of schools had also directed that the classrooms of the schools that were converted into quarantine centres be handed over to the schools.
In this respect, Malkangiri District Collector also had directed all the BDOs to hand over the classrooms to the concerned schools through his letter no-2451/20 sent September 18, 2020.
Three months have since passed since, but the classrooms-turned-quarantine centres of the government schools are yet to be handed over. Worse, these classrooms are yet to be sanitised.
When asked, headmaster, Ramesh Chandra Parida said he had already requested the local sarpanch, Korukonda BDO and the District Collector in written September 9, 2020 and 18.11.2020 respectively to take steps to hand over the classrooms. But he was yet to get back the rooms.
“This is the reason why we are forced to take classes in open,” Parida added.
When contacted, Korukonda BDO Anshuman Mohapatra said he would direct the panchayat office to take necessary steps to open the classrooms by Monday.
PNN