Students miss out on studies, celebrations

BARIPADA: Students of MPC High School at Betanati in Mayurbhanj district are a disappointed lot. There was no Saraswati puja on the premises on Saturday. They also had to give Republic Day celebrations a miss.Reason: Over a hundred people, who had come for culling of birds, are now housed in the building. Though initially the school was declared closed from January 17 to 22, it was later extended to January 29. In fact, education has taken a back seat in the school with rapid response and surveillance teams and the police occupying the building. Over 400 students from Class-VI to X study here. Worried parents met the in-charge headmaster of the school, Gyana Ranjan Giri and urged him to hold classes properly, but he pleaded helplessness. “I was informed through a letter to close the school till January 29,” he reasoned.School PTA president Arun Ota said the administration could have found some vacant building for the purpose. “Or else tent houses could have been erected for the team members on the school premises,” he said.    Inspector of Schools Udaynath Majhi said the school was being used to house the teams as per the collector’s order. District Collector Aswathy S could not be contacted for comments.