Teachers paid rent for building to run govt school in Dahod | Vadodara News – Times of India

Vadodara: Strange as it might seem, but a government primary school in Dahod was running from rented premises. The rent for the building was being paid by teachers of the school and some well-wishers.
The Jhalod Road primary school in Dahod had around 600 children. The school was operating from a building on the Jhalod Road in Dahod and was inaugurated in 1937. The building became dilapidated and layers of plaster also started coming off its walls. A staffer of the school was also injured.
Given this situation, it was decided to vacate the school building two years back. It is around this time that the staffers decided to shift it to the building of the Asha Kiran School, a private school. Rent was to be paid for the new premises at a rate of 10,000 per month.
Curiously, it was the government primary school’s teachers who were paying the rent. Officials are still wondering why did this happen. Ideally, the students should have been absorbed in other government schools in the area. “It is true that the teachers were paying the rent for the building,” said district primary education officer Mayur Parekh. He added that it was not possible for the education department to pay the rent for a private school.
But things turned for the worst when the management of the private school wanted it’s premises to be vacated. A new building for the government primary school was planned, but is yet to come up. The dilapidated old building is unfit even for temporary use.
Parekh said that the delay in work on the new school was because under the Smart City project it was planned that the school should be bigger and with more facilities. A larger plot of land was needed for this and officials zeroed down upon land in the possession of the state prohibition and excise department. The land, however, is yet to be handed over.
The parents and students made representations to the top brass of the Dahod district administration on Tuesday. They have sought an end to the issue. Many are even demanding that the government should pay the rent for the private school premises.
The administration has proposed that the students be absorbed in other existing schools in Dahod. As per norms, students have been offered transport allowance if they have to travel beyond a stipulated distance based on the standard they are in.