Santragachhi: Noni Deb sits in class, one hand raised to hold an umbrella, the other furiously jotting down notes. The 13-year-old's classroom has no roof and umbrellas are the students' only protection from sun and rain.

Leaking or missing roofs, cracked walls, floors wet from rainwater and overflowing washrooms greet the 500-odd students of Santragachi Railway Colony High School every day.

The school has been running in an "abandoned" railway complex for over nine years, yet those living within its 3km radius send their children here in the hope of a better life for them.

The teachers and students of the school have been knocking on every door possible for help to shift to a safer address but in vain.

"We live in fear every day. A roof may come crashing down any day," said Sraboni Mukherjee, the teacher-in-charge of the school.

Established in 1960, the government-sponsored co-educational school is housed in a building owned by South Eastern Railway.

A railway inspection team declared the building abandoned and irreparable in 2009. The school continued to pay rent till 2015 and foots the electricity bill even now.

Even the slightest shower can make things difficult for the students here. "A recent storm blew away the asbestos roof from a classroom. It could have been a serious accident had it happened during school hours," said Sanjib Acharya, who teaches physical science.

Each of the school's 10 classrooms has a story of its own. Class V and VI are held in a hall with broken partitions. Teachers and students have to shout over the din to be audible. Most walls are cracked and the windows have no panes.

Iyasin Sardar of Class X complains the tin roof heats up his classroom and power cuts every few minutes make it worse. "I cannot concentrate in the heat," he said.

The computer room is actually a storehouse, where teachers stack books and stationery. Two computers lie unused.

The toilets are unhygienic and not fit for use. The male and female teachers have one toilet to share, while the students have three scattered in the vicinity.

The drinking water is unsafe. "I have seen worms in the washbasin," said Rupa Jaiswal of Class X. Geography teacher Rajesh Dey said the tank has never been cleaned since he joined in 2005.

The old-timers among the teachers say the number of students has declined from over 800 to 511 because of the unsafe conditions.

"Most of our students come from nearby areas such as Moukhali, Sultanpur and Goyalbati and are first-generation learners. There is no other co-educational school nearby," said Indranil Das, who teaches English at the school.

The teachers have pitched in to make things a little better for the students. They often pay from their own pockets for small repairs.

They also ensure the students are served a healthy midday meal every day. This is where Noni gets to enjoy his only wholesome meal of the day. "I usually have bread or biscuits at home," said the boy whose mother works as a household help. In school, he gets meat, eggs or soya chunks.

Games teacher Rabindranath Soren has spent over Rs 20,000 from his savings to build a plywood enclosure and buy a steel almirah for storing games equipment.

"Our students are very good in sports. Where would I have kept their footballs, jerseys, cricket stumps, shot puts and shoes?" asked Soren, who hails from Jhargram.

Repeated pleas to the school authorities and local politicians have fallen on deaf ears.

Moumita Das, the sub-inspector of schools, Jagachha circle, and president of the school management committee, said she visited the campus and found it in "a bad state". "We are mulling how and when to shift the school," she said.

Santanu Kumar Sinha, the district inspector of schools (secondary education), Jagachha circle, agreed the school was "unliveable". "Call after a week and we will have a plan in place. Something has to be done fast," he told Metro.

Despite the challenges, the students strive to excel. "I like going to school and taking part in elocution. I want to continue playing football," said little Noni.

Is anyone listening?