Mithapur Farm Primary School and (above) children of the school having mid-day meal. Pictures by Piyush Kumar Tripathi

Patna, March 14: A school usually has a number of classrooms. But one classroom in Mithapur Farm Private School accommodates about 1,000 students of three schools.

New Sinha Middle School, Purandharpur and Chandpur Bela Primary School also hold classes in the single classroom, which is in a shambles.

Akhilesh Kumar, a teacher, said: “The situation is a glaring example of the poor condition of government schools in the state. Parents often withdraw their wards from our school after they see the miserable conditions. Most children have to attend classes in the open in rain and shine.”

The school employees said most of the students come from the neighbouring areas — Mithapur farm, Purandharpur, New Bengali Tola, Mithapur and Jakkanpur. Around 350 students of classes I to VIII are registered with New Sinha Middle School, 100 students of classes I to V are registered with Chandpur Bela Primary School and 100 more with Mithapur Farm Private School.

“There is no staff room, no facility for a women’s restroom though there are six women teachers and hundreds of girl students. Our pupils and colleagues have to go far to fetch drinking water as there is no tap or handpump in the school,” said Kamlavati Kumari, a teacher of Chandpur Bela Primary School.

Though three rooms exist on the premises, materials belonging to the agriculture department are stocked up in two rooms. The agricultural department previously occupied the premises. School officials said had the department taken away their materials, the rooms could have been turned into classrooms.

Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) norms related to classrooms prescribe that there should be a room for every teacher in primary and middle schools. Provision for two classrooms with verandahs should be provided at every primary school with at least two teachers. It also states that a room should be set aside for headmasters of middle schools.

Akhilesh Kumar Sinha, the headmaster of New Sinha Modern Middle School, said originally, Mithapur Primary School was established at Jakkanpur in 1960. Later, the state department of education took over.

Finally, it was shifted to the current premises in 1973 and was renamed Mithapur Farm Primary School.

“It was in the late-1980s that New Sinha Middle School, Purandharpur, was shifted to this premises. To compound the situation, Chandpur Bela Primary School was also shifted here, as the school was established on paper but no building was made,” said Akhilesh.

He added: “At present, all three schools run in different shifts on the same premises. Mithapur Farm Private School runs in the morning shift from 6.30am to 11.30am. New Sinha Middle School and Chandpur Bela Primary School run in the afternoon shift from 12.30pm to 4.30pm. Often, we are forced to take rooms on rent in the neighbourhood to conduct examinations.”

It is not that the authorities have completely alienated these schools. They have been receiving funds for construction and maintenance of the school building.

SSA norms include funds up to Rs 5,000 per year for maintenance and repair of school buildings.

“The administrations of all the schools have received a total of Rs 30 lakh in the past for construction of the building. The education department has also allotted 11 cottahs. But no construction could be carried out because of the absence of a no-objection certificate from the agriculture department, as the land was in the notified area of the department,” said Akhilesh.

He added: “I believe there is a lack of co-ordination between the education and agriculture departments, which is acting as a major bottleneck in the construction of a school building.”