Rautahat, November 8

Students of Janata Secondary School in Saruathha, Rautahut-4, have been forced to take classes in the open after the two-story building of the school was used for operating Yamuna Mai Rural Municipality’s office.

The school has around 700 students. Of them, almost 300 students from Grade II to VI are compelled to study in the open.

Teachers at the school said elected representatives had promised to ensure quality education and end political interference in educational institutions during the civic polls, but forgetting their promises, they seized classrooms and forced students to study in the open. They said students were having a hard time taking classes in the meadow.

Head teacher Nabin Singh said a few classrooms were given to the elected representatives for some time on the request of the rural municipality chairman as they didn’t have a building in the locality to run their office. It is learnt that head teacher Singh provided classrooms to the rural municipality to get favour from the rural municipality.

Shree Prakash Mukhiya elected as chair of the rural municipality said they were forced to operate from the school for want of building. “We have no choice but to run the office from the school as we cannot shift it outside Saruathha due to locals’ objection,” he added.

District Education Office had sent a team to the school to vacate the school building. However, people’s representatives ignored the DEO’s order.

On Tuesday too, a team of DEO Ram Binay Singh had talks with people’s representatives and urged them to vacate the school building. Singh said his office had written to District Administration Office, District Coordination Committee and Department of Education after the representatives responded saying that it would take some time to vacate the school building.