Nuapada: Future of the students of five schools at four villages of the district looms dark in view of inundation of their school buildings because of the Lower Indra Irrigation project going on here.

Both students and parents as well as villagers became worried after a letter from the state irrigation department had asked the district education department to ensure that the schools remained closed.

As many as 353 students of the five schools have not been going to schools for the past few days as the buildings are closed because of the irrigation department's order.

The villagers have, however, refused to budge unless the administration compensates them adequately and provides alternatives to educate their children.

The five upper primary schools at four villages namely Raghupali, Konabira, Sanbahali and Bodapadar would be inundated by the project.

Prabhasini Patel's daughter studies in Class II in Raghupali Upper Primary School.

However, she stopped going to school after the education department closed it. "These days, she does not go school, as the administration had closed it for the irrigation project. Now, I am sending her to her maternal uncle's village, where she can study. Fifty-four more students have been hit by the school closure," she said.

Raghupali resident Ujjal Patel said he would neither leave the village nor allow the schools to shut down unless the government provided them alternatives and released their compensation.

Local leader Nilakantha Pradhan said: "The future of these 353 students hangs in uncertainty. We will never allow the schools to be closed unless the administration compensates and provides us with alternatives to educate the kids."

Nuapada district education officer Lakshman Bhoi informed that he had already taken up the matter with the district administration and also written to the state government regarding the irrigation department's letter asking to close the schools.

"I have held discussions with the district administration and also written to the government seeking alternative arrangement for those, who would lose their study because of the project," he said.