A student takes admission at the school at Rukunpura in Patna on Tuesday. Picture by Jai Prakash

Patna, Sept. 13: The students of Government Primary School at Rukunpura have not found any magic lamp but the building of their educational institution is almost like a dream.

The three-storeyed tenement earlier housed suspended IAS officer S.S. Verma and his family. The state government seized the house on September 4 following the order of a special vigilance court. The school was shifted here on September 8 from its Rukunpura-Bailey Road address.

Sources said it is now attracting students by dozens. Around 28 children had been admitted to the school over the past two days.

The Telegraph visited the school today to find that it had become a talking point for people from near and far.

A source said around 75 per cent of the 122 students of the school hail from the Dalit community. Most of them cannot afford uniforms or shoes. For them, the building is a palace from fairy tales. It has three large rooms, a large hall, two western style toilets and expensive tiled floors.

Usha Sinha, the principal of the school, said: “At present, the activities of the school are confined to the ground floor of the building. But if we continue to get a good response from the parents, we will have classes on the first and second floors.”

Many students came from far away to take admissions here because they believe it is a good school.

Ram Bhagwan Rai, who runs a khatal (cowshed) at Naharpar, had come today to get his eight-year-old son Ravi admitted to the school. Ravi was earlier a student of an institution in Maner.

Asked why he changed his son’s school, Rai said: “My son was studying in a village school in Maner. After this school opened, I thought of getting my son admitted to it because it is better than an ordinary village school. It is even better than an ordinary government school.”

Rai is not alone. Many parents have started to make a beeline for the school at Rukunpura.

Sunita Devi, who had come to get her daughter Preeti admitted to the school, said: “My daughter was earlier a student of a private school on Gola Road. Though the institution charged Rs 350 as fee, it lacked necessary infrastructure. Moreover, the quality of education was not up to the mark.”

State human resource development (HRD) department principal secretary Anjani Kumar Singh said the development of school infrastructure was another method to provide quality education.

Singh said: “There are 122 government primary schools in Patna which do not have their own buildings. They are at present in a pitiable condition.”

Sources said HRD department has requested the land revenue department to provide plots to open government schools. The department is also planning to open schools on rented premises.