The Malegaon Municipal Corporation (MMC) School No 62 compound. (Pic: The Voice of Malegaon / For representation)
A panel appointed by the Bombay High Court to study conditions of schools run by local bodies has painted a grim picture in its initial findings. So far, of a target of conducting surveys of 292 schools, the squad headed by District Judge 1 S S Kanthale has visited 32 schools run by the Malegaon Municipal Corporation (MMC). Its findings will shock many.
One revelation that has turned out to be quite a common thing in every finding is that these local body-run schools lack basic amenities such as drinking water outlets, proper washroom facilities, separate room for lady teachers and proper playground for students. Besides, some schools have been found to be in dilapidated state. Similarly, at some schools it has been found that there was no proper arrangement for providing the mid-day meal scheme.
A senior officer who was part of these visits in his personal capacity told The Voice of Malegaon, “So far, we have conducted surveys at 32 schools run by the MMC and unearthed startling revelations. The schools were in very bad conditions. At some schools, we found that the school premises have been given to local political leaders where they have built marriage halls, who lease them out for wedding feasts. And this has been sanctioned by the MMC.”
He added some schools were a scene of utter chaos where the security walls have been brought down and the school premises were being used as passage ways for people in the vicinity. “Some locals have given us feedback that after six in the evening, some of the schools are overtaken by anti-social elements where they indulge in criminal activities. This puts the lives of the people living in the area in the way of danger,” he said.
Besides many other schools, officials led by Judge Kanthale have visited School No 32 and 68 in the Hudco Colony area, School No 57 in Tashkand Bagh, and School No 58 in Golden Nagar. Today, the team was getting ready to visit a school in the Qila locality near the headquarters of the MMC.
Besides Judge Kanthale as its head, the squad comprises Block Education Officer (BEO) as Member Secretary, Sub-Divisional Officer Nitin Sadgir as Member, Sub-Divisional Police Officer Pushkaraj Suryavanshi as Member, and Executive Engineer of Public Works Department (PWD) as Member. All these officials have been asked to prepare a report as per their basic roles.
At some schools, we found out that teachers play truant. They abdicate their duties. They just hire services of a young graduate and give him or her around Rs 2,000 per month to take care of the class. They are present in school only at the time of key inspections from government officials, The Senior Officer Part of The Visits, Said
For instance, SDPO Suryavanshi has been saddled with the task of studying criminal aspects such as sexual harassment of lady teachers, types of shifts etc. The PWD executive engineer has been asked to draw out a list of dilapidated buildings, number of rooms, floors etc. The BEO is looking at aspects like number of students, dropout rates, number of teachers and the student vs teacher ratio etc. SDO Nitin Sadgir, as per the HC ruling, is representing the state government who will be bearing the cost of conducting these surveys.
“Schools get funds for making available sanitary napkins to girl students who attain the age of menstruation. But we found only at six schools that these sanitary pads were being provided by women teachers. At the rest of the schools we have visited so far, there was no such facility. So where are these funds going?,” he asked.
The officer added a school headmaster told him that even the MMC officials do not bother to visit their school so as to understand their problems and know their plight. This writer has personally visited many schools and in person has observed that playgrounds of these schools were being used as parking lots. Four wheeler drivers and owners were being allowed to park their vehicles even when the schools were open and classes running.
A trader who has his chappal shop on an arterial road fearing a backlash on condition of anonymity said, “If you visit local schools you will find a number of heavy vehicles are parked in the vicinity of schools thus putting the lives of students in the way of danger. Huge traffic congestion is caused by illegally parked vehicles and encroachments in the vicinity of schools,” he said.
Chandrakant Patil, Administrative Officer, MMC told The Voice of Malegaon that there are eighty three schools run by the urban local body in Malegaon. “I joined the MMC in the month of July this year. It took me two months to arrange things in place. I am trying to understand things in detail. I am not part of the panel appointed by the HC. My services have been roped in as I am heading the education department in the MMC. How or in what way these visits or findings will culminate I don’t know,” he said. However, he attributed the poor state of affairs to poverty and illiteracy.
HC Takes Suo Moto Action
In July this year, the Aurangabad Bench of the Bombay High Court took suo moto action on a news report highlighting poor state of affairs at a school in Aurangabad. The HC then asked the Principal District Judge in every district to form a panel headed by a District Judge and conduct surveys of schools.
The Principal District Judge Nashik, who is the Chairman of the Committee, appointed a squad each in Malegaon, Niphad, Yeola and Nashik and named a District Judge as its head. The squad comprises Block Education Officer as Member Secretary, a Deputy Collector rank officer as Member, a DYSP rank police officer as Member, and PWD Executive Engineer as Member.
