Sasaram: A single teacher, one classroom and 61 students — this is the stark reality at a govt primary school in Kaupa village of Rohtas district’s Karakat block, where children in classes I to V are forced to study in shifts. The school has no proper urinals, washrooms or drinking water facility.Teacher Ajay Kumar teaches all five classes while also handling the midday meal programme and administrative work. With just one classroom, he conducts lessons one after another. Enrolment ranges from six students in Class I to 18 in Class IV.The school also lacks a proper approach road, forcing children to use narrow footpaths through agricultural fields. During the rainy season, the route turns muddy, with students sometimes carrying their slippers and walking barefoot through the slush.Sanitation and drinking water facilities are equally poor. There is no proper urinal or washroom and no hand pump on the premises.Block education officer (BEO) Arvind Kumar said additional teachers would be deputed at the school soon. “Surplus staff from other schools will be redeployed to institutions facing shortages in the block,” he added.The shortage is particularly striking as several other schools in the block have surplus teachers, raising questions over teacher deployment and monitoring by the education department.On Oct 23, CPI(ML) MLA Arun Kumar staged a dharna on the block premises, protesting what he termed the education department’s apathetic attitude towards govt schools. He demanded immediate intervention to address teacher shortages and inadequate infrastructure.Ajay said managing all five classes alongside his other responsibilities made it difficult to conduct regular teaching effectively.The situation is not isolated. At another primary school in Kochas, 91 students of classes I to V share a single blackboard in one room, highlighting the continuing shortage of teachers, classrooms and basic facilities in rural schools.
