Sambalpur, July 8: The 54-year-old Government Middle English School at Commissioner Colony in the city has been wallowing in neglect for a long time.

“There is only one campus for both the Middle English School and high school of Commissioner Colony, but the management for both schools are different. Three rooms have been allotted to the ME School in the building. Two rooms are used as classrooms for students of Class VI and Class VII. Another room was allotted for the office purpose. But now the office room is also being used as the classroom for Class VI students. The classroom which was being used for the students of Class VI is lying unused as its asbestos roof had been blown away by a storm on May 28 last year,” said Prabhati Rout, in-charge head mistress of the ME school.

Rout is the only teaching staff for both the classes (Class VI and Class VII of the M.E. School.

“I have drawn the attention of the authority about the condition of the school. But our concern is yet to be responded.” she said.

Till 2004, the Sambalpur Municipality ran the school, after which it was taken over by the government.

Bhakta Charan Mirdha, a councillor of Sambalpur Municipality and a member of school management committee, said: “We have written to the concerned authorities about the problem. Authorities should immediately repair the roof. I had even written to the municipality to take initiatives to repair the class room,” he said.

“We had allotted a classroom of the high school for Class VI students of the ME School. But it was possible because Class X students of the high school were not coming to school after their test examination. But now, it is not possible to allow them to use our classrooms, as the new students have already enrolled their names.

“The authority should immediately repair the roof of the M.E. School,” said Saroj Dash, a teacher of the high school.