Hyderabad, October 26: The construction of several government schools in the Twin Cities has not taken off as the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) has been insisting that all school buildings have provision for backyards.
Hyderabad collectorate officials told Expresso that works were either stalled or not taken up in approximately 20 schools out of the nearly 75 proposed government schools, were works were sanctioned. The district administration has taken up reconstruction of school buildings under Sarva Siksha Abhiyan.
Earlier, school buildings were constructed along the four sides of the plot leaving open space in the middle. But now with the GHMC insisting on backyard space, school administration officials are backtracking on construction of new buildings. “In most of the schools, the plot size is limited. In the given space we cannot construct a building satisfying all the norms and leave space for a backyard,” said an official of the Sarva Siksha Abhiyan.
As per the norms of Sarva Siksha Abhiyan, the room size in primary high schools has to be 16×20 feet and for high schools, 20×24.
The problem is more so in the Old City, where most schools have been built on small plots. With many unauthorised residential houses coming up around the schools in Old City, the officials unable to construct even drainage lines.
The problem is specific in places like Kotla Alija and Petlaburj in the Old City. Providing toilet facilities in government schools out here is a huge challenge for the district administration.
“We have already informed our higher-ups about the practical problems and suggested private buildings be hired for running schools,” added an official. Between 2006 and 2009, the Hyderabad district administration planned to construct approximately 160 school buildings.
The district was given Rs 35.87 crore by the Union government for the execution of works since 2006. As of now, there are 805 government schools in the Twin Cities with 1.3 lakh students.
—Agencies