KOPPAL: A girls-only residential school in Koppal district in North Karnataka doesn’t have doors for its toilets and bathrooms, and the teacher in charge of the institution faces suspension on charges of violation of safety rules and non-utilization of grants.
Following complaints from several students that the hostel restrooms lack safety, doors and hygiene, H Anjinappa, assistant coordinator of department of Samagra Shikshana, conducted an inspection of Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya in Betageri, Koppal taluk, on Jan 16. Based on his report, deputy director of public instruction (DDPI) Srishail Biradar issued an order suspending school head teacher Kasturi Badiger on Jan 20. The order has not been implemented yet.
Balika Vidyalaya, set up by Union govt and run on govt grants, has 120 students in Class 6, 7 and 8 in this academic year. School and hostel buildings are next to each other.
DDPI: Hostel grants weren’t documented
The DDPI said Kasturi is the head teacher at Govt Model Higher Primary School in Betageri and also the nodal officer for Vidyalaya hostel. During the inspection, the hostel’s toilets and bathrooms did not have doors. He held the head teacher responsible for kids’ health issues that might stem from mosquito bites as windows do not have nets.
According to DDPI, the head teacher didn’t properly document the hostel grants received from the state office. Upon inquiry, she said the documents were with the block education office. He said she had not fully distributed coconut oil, notebooks and tracksuits – which the govt had supplied for free – among the girls in the hostel. Anjinappa’s report said hostel children are receiving untreated tubewell water and it was used for cooking too. The suspension order by the DDPI cited the head teacher’s failure to utilise govt funds appropriately for children’s facilities, violating the Karnataka Civil Services Conduct Rules, 2021.