“Lokesh Mama, Please Build Us a School”: Children Cry for Help in Prakasam
12 Jul, 2025 15:28 IST|Sakshi Post
Snakes in Toilets, Leaking Roofs: Students Beg for Safe Classrooms
No Choice, Only Fear: Parents Send Kids to Crumbling School in Prakasam
TDP Hosts Record-Breaking PTM, Ignores Collapsing Schools
“Lokesh Mama, please build us a new school,” pleaded students of the Balasaraswati Municipal Primary School in Sundarayya Colony, Markapur, Prakasam district. The emotional appeal reflects the dire state of their learning environment.
According to reports, the children have been raising concerns about the dilapidated condition of their school. Their classes are held under an aging asbestos shed, which begins to leak even with the slightest rainfall, severely disrupting lessons.
Beyond the leaking roof, the school lacks basic infrastructure—no proper lighting, drinking water, benches, or other essential amenities. The students said they are afraid to use the toilets, describing them as unhygienic and dangerous. "Snakes and scorpions often enter the washrooms. We're scared," one student said.
Parents echoed the children’s concerns, stating that the school has been in a state of neglect. Repeated appeals for renovation, they say, have gone unanswered. “We have no other government school in the area, so we’re forced to send our children here. But every day, we fear for their safety. The shed could collapse at any time,” a worried parent said.
This revelation comes at a time when the TDP government is celebrating the success of a mega Parent-Teacher Meeting (PTM) held on July 10, coinciding with Guru Purnima. The event saw participation from 2.38 crore people—including 74.96 lakh students, 3.32 lakh teachers, and 1.49 crore parents and donors.
While Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu and HRD Minister Nara Lokesh celebrated the scale of the PTM as a record-breaking achievement, critics argue that the focus on optics has come at the cost of addressing core issues in the education sector.
Despite the grandeur of the state-wide event held across 61,135 educational institutions, multiple schools reported protests by parents over poor infrastructure and substandard midday meals.
