UP: 11 years on, as a school still awaits a power connection, children study in the dark

Ground report from Bhaktakheda Primary School in the Bakshi ka Talab (BKT) Development Block of the capital city of Lucknow by The Mooknayak's correspondent Satya Prakash Bharti.

Lucknow— The primary schools in the BKT Development Block of Lucknow, the capital of Uttar Pradesh, are struggling due to lack of basic facilities. Many schools have not been fitted with an electricity connection since years, due to which it innocent children who have been forced to study in the dark. The supply of books has also been insufficient. Due to this, children are not able to follow the set curriculum. The most astonishing point is that the Basic Education Officer is not even aware of all this. The Mooknayak team conducted an investigation into the facilities available for children at Bhaktakheda Primary School in Aldampur, BKT, and below is the ground report.

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Bhaktakheda Primary School is located in Aldampurin the Bakshi Ka Talab area. The school building was constructed in 2010. Now 12 years have passed since the construction of the school. However, this school has not been been allocated a power connection. Due to the lack of electricity, the school's children are forced to study in dark rooms and in the heat.

Eight years after the construction of the primary school of Bhaktakheda, in 2019, with some difficulty, the process to get a power connection was initiated. The whole year went by preparing the file. In 2020, a receipt was cut for Rs.118 to fit an electricity connection. For this too, the receipt for Rs.118, the school had to pay Rs.1,500.

Only half the books needed have arrived

The academic session for the children starts from the month of April. The order to buy books was issued in June. Still, as of now, only half the quantity of required books have been supplied to the school. In the month of September, the children have to sit the session examination. It is proving difficult for teachers to teach children without books.

Troublemakers harassing the teachers

Two female teachers are posted in the school, outside which is a temple platform. Some troublemakers will sit here and harass the women teachers. The women teachers say, "In rural areas, some things have to be intentionally ignored. It is not possible to take a stand against everything."

No electricity means submersible water pump not usable

Due to the lack of a power connection in the primary school, there is also shortage of drinking water. The children and teachers can only fill water from the hand pump. Along with water for drinking, water for the toilet also has to be carried there from the hand pump. It is also not easy to wash the utensils used for the children's mid-day meal.

Arun Kumar, the Basic Education Officer, in Lucknow, has ordered an inquiry into the entire matter.

यहाँ हिन्दी में भी पढ़ें– उत्तर प्रदेशः 11 साल से प्राइमरी स्कूल में विद्युत कनेक्शन नहीं, अंधेरे में पढ़ने को मजबूर मासूम!

[Story Translated By Lotika Singha]