Students' woes resume with monsoon rain

With schools reopening, students expect a better academic year with improvement in infrastructure; but the condition in Vijayawada Municipal Corporation (VMC) schools seems to be worsening as years pass by. The onset of monsoon has dampened the enthusiasm of schoolchildren.

The woes of students of the VMC schools began from the day one with no improvement in basic amenities. The VMC is running 105 schools in the city, which includes 28 high schools, 75 elementary schools and two upper primary schools.

The premises of most of the schools get inundated when it rains. It becomes difficult for students to sit in the class as the roofs start to leak even when it is drizzling. In several schools, students are forced to sit on the floor in the classroom as the number of benches is highly inadequate.

In the absence of proper drainage facility, students have to wade through the water-logged school premises to enter their classrooms. Even after the launch of Swachh Bharat campaign, there are many VMC schools without proper toilets and washrooms.

It is sad to note that the government on one hand talks of introducing IIT coaching in municipality schools and on the other hand lags behind basic facilities like proper sanitation and roofing.

By Sistla Dakshina Murthy