Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru

Mangaluru, May 4: Over 1,550 classrooms in government schools across Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts are still awaiting repairs, with just a month left for schools to reopen and the onset of the monsoon.

According to the state education department, 21,255 classrooms in government schools across Karnataka need major repairs. Of these, 1,323 are in Dakshina Kannada and 274 in Udupi. Despite submitting a detailed proposal to the state government months ago, full funding for the repair works has not yet been released.

Dakshina Kannada district has 893 primary and 170 high schools, while Udupi has 570 primary and 105 high schools.

Rain may worsen damage

“In some places, the roofs of school buildings have already cracked, causing leakage during the rains. If not addressed soon, it will pose significant challenges during the monsoon,” said the head teacher of a government school in Mangaluru, stressing the need to carry out repairs during the current summer vacation.

No allocation last year

During the 2023–24 academic year, repair works were carried out in 2,162 classrooms across 17 districts in the state. However, Dakshina Kannada and Udupi received no direct funding for these works. Repairs in these districts were managed using funds pooled from alternative sources at the district level.

“A proposal for this year’s classroom repairs has been submitted to the government. Emergency repairs are being prioritised and will be completed before schools reopen,” said Govinda Madival, DDPI of Dakshina Kannada.

“From a student safety perspective, classroom repairs are being conducted in phases. We have collected information from all schools in the district and will complete the necessary works before the monsoon begins,” added Ganapati K, DDPI of Udupi.

Classrooms needing urgent repair by district include Dakshina Kannada-1,323, Udupi-274 and Kodagu-189.