For children at Satgaon’s Veenapani Hindi LP School, getting to class can mean wading through stagnant, filthy water before stepping into a classroom shared by several other classes, all while keeping an uneasy eye out for snakes and frogs around the waterlogged premises. More than five decades after the school crossed its Golden Jubilee, its surroundings offer little of the safety and conducive environment young children need as they take their first steps into education.

With no proper drainage system to carry away rainwater, the institute, established in 1972 under the Kamrup (Metro) education block, remains waterlogged after spells of rain, leaving teachers to conduct classes amid unhygienic conditions. Algae-covered stagnant water accumulated inside the school campus (Photo: AT) The kitchen where mid-day meals are prepared has also been affected by the flooding, forcing the school to prepare meals in the veranda instead.

“We have to stay in such a bad environment. We do not like having our mid-day meals here.

We want our school to be in better condition. We are facing difficulties,” a student said, requesting anonymity.

Inside the school, the shortage of classrooms has created another challenge. Four classes are currently being conducted in a single classroom, making it difficult for teachers to maintain a proper learning environment.

Headmistress Archana Singh Nath said senior officials of the Education Department had been informed about the school’s condition, but no significant steps had been taken so far. “The school has three teachers, including me and assistant teachers Swarnalata Deka and Hiramoni Buragohain.

The latter is currently engaged in census-related work,” she said. Nath said the school receives an annual grant of only Rs 10,000 from the Education Department, and even that is not provided regularly.

The headmistress informed that the school has 30 students enrolled from Classes I to V, but only around 12 to 15 attend regularly, according to school authorities. School students inside a classroom of Veenapani Hindi LP School (Photo: AT) The attendance figures assume significance amid growing concerns over school retention in Assam.

5 lakh students recorded as enrolled in Assam schools were no longer attending classes. The wider education data also presents a mixed picture.

While Assam’s dropout rates have declined at the primary, upper-primary and secondary levels, the state continues to face challenges in retaining students as they progress through the education system. 4% nationally.