PANAJI
The State government's reply on the condition of government primary schools in Goa paints a dismal picture with the government conceding that as many as 13 school buildings are not safe for students and teachers, while 20 school buildings do not have a properly maintained roof or ceiling.
In a written reply to a question by Curtorim legislator Aleixo Reginaldo Lourenço, Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar has also revealed that not one of the 72 government primary schools in Pernem has a playground, the worst among all talukas in the state.
According to the reply, of the 13 schools which have been declared as unsafe, nine of them figure in Ponda taluka alone, two are in Tiswadi and one each in Bardez and Salcete, putting the lives of students and teachers at risk, especially during the monsoon season.
The reply has also revealed that three 3 school buildings have no electrification, four school buildings are not properly ventilated and two school buildings have no toilet facilities.
There are a total of 780 government primary schools in the State, with 365 being in the North District and 415 in the South District.
Significantly, over half of these school buildings (415) have no playgrounds, with Ponda taluka with the highest number of schools (82) without playgrounds.
In what may come as a surprise, Quepem taluka fares the best when it comes to the maintenance of buildings of the Government primary schools.
All the 61 Government primary schools have playgrounds, have school buildings which have properly maintained roof/ceiling, have power supply, are properly ventilated, have toilet facilities and are safe for students and teachers.
Canacona too scores well, save for the fact that five of the 66 schools do not have playgrounds.
The issue of dilapidated government primary schools has repeatedly been raised in the assembly with successive governments assuring to repair them, but failing to do so.
Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar, who is also the education minister, has in this session pointed to the fact that attention is drawn only to the dilapidated structures. "When we build good facilities about schools, nobody talks about that," Parrikar had said.
