PACKED: Students in a classroom at Maheshwaram in Ranga Reddy district. - Photo: Satish H.

CHEVELLA (Ranga Reddy dt): For a village pitch forked into political prominence and enjoying the most-favoured status, the Zilla Parishad High School (ZPHS) for Girls just off the main road presents the most unseemly sight.

With the compound wall breached at several places, pigs whine their way almost to the classrooms till the girls shoo them away. The number of girls who study in the school is 550 and there are 11 teachers, but there is not even a single toilet. The all- important SSC examinations are just a few days away, but the girls are yet to get a grasp of English, Physics and Telugu. The reason being three teacher posts remaining vacant. No surprise last year's pass percentage was a mere 48. Students have to squat and slog on the floor, as the school has no budget for buying furniture. At the far end, there is a computer and a room but it is in lock and key, as there is no instructor.

For a district enviably encircling Hyderabad and playing host to some top-notch high tech companies from software to hardware including Microsoft, Infosys, Wipro, Fab City besides the International Airport, three universities, 57 engineering colleges, 69 Post Graduate/ MCA colleges, the school education in Government sector is in a shambles.

"It is a lopsided development model. If you ask me how many of those studying in these schoolswould find a place in these companies and engineering colleges, I will say none. What can you expect from schools that are crammed, perennially short of staff and lack basic facilities?" wonders P. Srinivasulu Naidu, State Telugu Desam leader.

Situation is ditto in almost every Government/ Zilla Parishad school visited by this correspondent.

The ZPHS close to the airport at Shamshabad has four teacher posts vacant and the SSC result was 24 per cent last year, while the one at Thondapalli had no blackboard. Over 120 students are packed in a classroom at ZPHS at Maheswaram. The school at Palmakala faces a peculiar problem.

Ever since the biology teacher joined the Mines Minister's peshi two years ago, it has been lying vacant.

A single teacher manages the ZPHS at Qutbullapur, having a strength of 203 with the help of six vidya volunteers.

No visible progress

"The Prime Minister had visited the district twice. The Chief Minister might have launched a dozen schemes from this district and an IT Minister represents the district, yet there is no visible progress," laments Mr. Naidu.

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