Koraput: Students of Mangardora Primary School under Tentulikhunti block in Nabarangpur district have to sit on a road to attend classes as their school building is in a dilapidated condition.

With the villagers' repeated plea to repair the building yielding no result, local people, along with the members of the school management committee, locked the school on Monday and requested the teachers to take classes in the open.

"Condition of the school building is very bad. While the roof is leaking, cracks have developed on the walls. It's very risky to take classes in the building as at any moment a mishap may happen," said school management committee president Sonamal Dishari.

"We have often approached the concerned to make necessary repair of the school building, but in vain. As its condition had further deteriorated in the recent torrential rain, we had to lock the school without getting any other option," he said.

Dishari said the kitchen roof was also leaking, for which the midday meal for students is now being cooked in another place and later served at the school.

The school with classes from I to V has a student strength of around 50.

After locking the school, parents and guardians had requested the teachers to take classes in the open, to which they agreed.

"Though teaching is not possible in such a condition, but on the villagers' request, we are taking classes in the open" said one of the teachers of the school.

"We have made the students sit on the concrete road, which lies in front of the school and are teaching them," the teacher added.

"The matter has been intimated to our higher authorities, and some alternate arrangements will shortly be made to ensure that the academic activity of the school is not hampered," said Tentulikhunti block education officer T. Minati.

Tentulikhunti block development officer Anakar Thakur said steps had already been taken for construction of a new building for the school.