Parents, activists protest outside government school in Station Sawalgi demanding basic facilities

The Hindu

a day ago

In a demonstration highlighting the deteriorating state of public education infrastructure, parents and activists staged a protest in front of the government lower primary school in Station Sawalgi village, Kalaburagi district, demanding urgent provision of basic facilities to improve the quality of education.
Addressing the gathering, Hanumanth S.H., State vice-president of the All-India Democratic Students' Organisation (AIDSO), condemned the government for shirking its responsibility to provide free and quality education to every child. 'Education is not merely about academics; it is about instilling values and nurturing good citizens. It is disheartening that the government is neglecting its duty,' he said.
He pointed out that Station Sawalgi, located in Kalaburagi taluk, was home to a large number of daily wage labourers and migrant workers. 'Most parents in the village enrol their children in the local government school owing to financial constraints. However, the school lacks clean drinking water, proper toilet facilities, and electricity, and regular classes are often disrupted. As a result, enrollment numbers have been declining every year,' he said.
Preeti Doddamani, district vice-president of AIDSO, criticised the State government for failing to provide even the minimum infrastructure and adequate teaching staff in government schools. 'While privatisation of education is being promoted on one hand, basic education is being denied to underprivileged children on the other,' she said, demanding immediate measures from the authorities concerned.
Responding to the protest, Vijay Kumar Jamkhandi, Block Education Officer of Kalaburagi South Zone, promised the protesters that steps would be taken to ensure quality education. He promised the provision of clean drinking water and electricity to the school without delay.
The key demands put forth by the protesters included assurance of quality education, provision of clean drinking water, restoration of electricity supply, construction of toilets, appointment of subject-specific teachers and introduction of English-medium instruction.