VASCO
Around 700 students at the government school in Mangor-Vasco face serious threat to their lives, as the school building is perilously weak and can crumble any time.
Collective apathy has also come to the fore as education authorities are unable to find alternate space and schools in the vicinity have declined to temporarily accommodate students of the government school at Mangor,
One of the oldest educational institutions in Vasco, the government school at Mangor was built in the late 1960s and rebuilt in 1990. This school having primary and secondary sections has 18 classrooms, staff rooms, offices and other basic facilities.
While 300 secondary students attend classes in the morning, 400 primary students in the evening and besides the local medium of instruction, the school also imparts education in Urdu and Kannada.
According to sources, cracks were noticed and pieces of the ceiling began to gave way in the school a few months ago.
"Accordingly, the school notified the education department and tender was floated to repair the school through the GSIDC," said the source.
"The contractor began work of restoring the structure and the top floor, while students were shifted to the ground floor with teachers given space in the verandah. However, while work was in progress on the top floor, the beams and pillars began to develop cracks and the building's structural integrity was in serious doubt," the source added.
The contractor then alerted the GSIDC that the building was completely weak and could collapse if further work was undertaken.
"Work was immediately stopped and the GSIDC informed the education department that full demolition was the only option as conditions were not fit to carry out repairs," the source said.
"The education department sent a notice to the school to vacate the students immediately. The school expressed readiness to shift the students and requested the department to identify alternative premises," the source added.
A visit to the school revealed that despite the perilously weak structure, students were still studying in the school. A number of students were also seen playing on the broken slides, swings and other play equipment surrounded with stones and broken tiles.
Around 700 students at the government school in Mangor-Vasco face serious threat to their lives, as the school building is perilously weak and can crumble any time.
Collective apathy has also come to the fore as education authorities are unable to find alternate space and schools in the vicinity have declined to temporarily accommodate students of the government school at Mangor,
One of the oldest educational institutions in Vasco, the government school at Mangor was built in the late 1960s and rebuilt in 1990. This school having primary and secondary sections has 18 classrooms, staff rooms, offices and other basic facilities.
While 300 secondary students attend classes in the morning, 400 primary students in the evening and besides the local medium of instruction, the school also imparts education in Urdu and Kannada.
According to sources, cracks were noticed and pieces of the ceiling began to gave way in the school a few months ago.
"Accordingly, the school notified the education department and tender was floated to repair the school through the GSIDC," said the source.
"The contractor began work of restoring the structure and the top floor, while students were shifted to the ground floor with teachers given space in the verandah. However, while work was in progress on the top floor, the beams and pillars began to develop cracks and the building's structural integrity was in serious doubt," the source added.
The contractor then alerted the GSIDC that the building was completely weak and could collapse if further work was undertaken.
"Work was immediately stopped and the GSIDC informed the education department that full demolition was the only option as conditions were not fit to carry out repairs," the source said.
"The education department sent a notice to the school to vacate the students immediately. The school expressed readiness to shift the students and requested the department to identify alternative premises," the source added.
A visit to the school revealed that despite the perilously weak structure, students were still studying in the school. A number of students were also seen playing on the broken slides, swings and other play equipment surrounded with stones and broken tiles.
