A school in Seshadripuram functions out of a single floor with 12 classrooms and 400 students. Many others run without adequate ventilation, library, laboratories, and playgrounds.
While a new State government order mandates a minimum of half an acre of land in Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike areas to open new schools, the existing schools — private and government — that have still not met the basic infrastructural facilities continue to function unabated.
The District Information System for Education 2014–15 report says only 36.52 per cent of the 44,295 elementary schools across the State have fulfilled all infrastructure criteria mandated under the RTE Act. The deadline for this ended on March 31, 2013 but the State government has not penalised erring schools.
In spite of having poor infrastructure, the school managements seem to be capitalising on the demand for English medium and are flourishing particularly in the lower economic pockets. One such school is in New Thippasandra, which functions from two buildings without playground and a high pupil-to-teacher ratio of over 50.
Gomathi Sharma (name changed), a parent whose child studies in the school, says, “We know the school lacks infrastructure, but we prefer it as it is close to our house and the fee is affordable.”
However, eight-year-old Soloman Raj has a grouse. “We do not have a playground. We have to walk for 10 minutes from our school if we want to play.” Department officials simply said they would insist on infrastructure when the schools approach authorities for renewal.
Many schools have still not provided basic infrastructure
