Students of Janjyoti Basic School in Lirapaja, Dharma Rural Municipality-2, have been compelled to study in an unfinished building. They have been attending classes inside rooms partitioned with plywood within a structure that remains incomplete except for the concrete slab. Due to a lack of funds, the building construction under last fiscal year with a budget of Rs. 70,00,000 from the Karnali Province government has not been completed. During the rainy season, water seeps into the classrooms, strong winds make it unsafe to sit inside, and students have been sitting on mats spread over dusty floors.
According to the school’s principal, Karna Bahadur KC, the studies of 52 students of grades 1, 2, and 3 have been affected. He said that because of the cold floor, students have started falling sick and they are teaching all 52 of them in a single classroom. He also shared that due to the poor classroom infrastructure, some students have even stopped coming to school. The school was established in 1986. Ramesh Khatri, Chairperson of the School Management Committee, said that the old building had developed cracks due to the earthquake, and it was risky to keep students in such classrooms.
Resham Wali, Chief Administrative Officer of Dharma Rural Municipality, stated that since the building constructed by the provincial government remained incomplete, students have been facing problems. He informed that this year the municipality has allocated a budget of Rs. 30,00,000 to address the issue.