Imphal, June 11 2009: In what could be a prove as one of the disadvantages of government schools in competing the private institutions in High School and Higher Secondary School examinations, around 118 students have been made to learn and take classes under a dilapidated school building at Lamlai Primary School.

Once the education centre of Lamlai and its adjoining villages, today the school is reeling under the apathy of the power that-be.

And lacks of teaching staff and physical infrastructure, children deprived of mid-day meal, and of course ramshackle building have become the description of once the typical primary school in Imphal East.

The Vice-President of Lamlai Students' Ideal Club, E Dayananda said "The Lamlai Primary School, since its inception in 1960, had once been the ideal educational institution for residents of Lamlai and its adjoining villages.

But now due to shortage of teachers and failure to construct or renovate the building, the number of students enrolling in the school has diminished".

The sentiment of the people of the area is clear: 'Whether the government has left the school to crumble on its own,' he said.

Further, Dayananda pointed out that the Club's repeated pleas for the construction of sanitary latrine and fencing of the school have gone unheard for.

Sanatomba, a local resident said: "The parents of the 118 odd children studying in the school are also apprehensive of the condition of the school building," adding that the mid-day meal has also been not provided regularly.

There are four teachers in the school including one ad-hoc teacher.

Some bricks have been brought into the school for the construction of sanitary latrine, but, all was that.

After the collapse of four-room building of the school some four years back, the building remains unused.

Among the four rooms in used now, one room has also become unusable, Khaidem Kiran, a teacher of the school said.

The school is leasing the two rooms constructed under the Sarva Siksha Abhiyan.

Due to underpayment of cook of mid-day meal and shortage of rice, the children cannot be fed well, he added.

Although there has been order for issue of 2.100 kgs of rice to each student, the school has got not more than 1.36 kgs per student for 270 days in a year, laments the teacher.

He said the school is facing shortage of teacher as no replacements for the transferred and retired teachers from the school are sent causing problem to the functioning of the school.

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