It is a tiny house with a thatched roof, sandwiched between a drain on one side and bushes on the other. In the monsoon, storm water floods the floor.
Welcome to the government-aided Ananta Jaihind Primary School in Laxmanaraopuram area of Machilipatnam. The school struggles despite the voluntary efforts of two women teachers to make conditions suitable to hold classes.
They regularly sweep the floor and remove cattle dung from the classroom, since it is used by local residents as a shed after school hours. A neighbouring building has been rented to help the students cope with the rainy season.
The teachers begin their day in the sole classroom available with the cleaning routine. “No worker is willing to clean dung despite being offered a good wage. We remove the dung and sweep the floor before the students come,” said C. Rajya Lakshmi, a teacher, who is helped by her colleague P.A. Niranjana.
Established in 1969, the school has 26 students, all from poor families.
Speaking to The Hindu over phone, the school’s correspondent, B. Santosam, said the management had no plans to construct a permanent building. The correspondent stays outside Machilipatnam most of the year, and the task of running the school is taken up by the two teachers. The students lack basic facilities.
The thatched roof collapsed last year and the teacher duo contributed ₹ 30,000 from their salary to get it renovated. They store drinking water in the rented room.
Two tanks procured from the Municipality store a week’s supply of drinking water. Education Department officials have not inspected the institution.
When contacted, the departmental officials said they were not aware of the condition of the school. Many poor families have decided to admit their children to the school this year, as they are unable to afford private education in the district headquarters of Machilipatnam.
