It's clearing litter before letters for these Bengaluru schoolkids

At night, the school is a hub for raucous groups of youth who consume liquor and food and litter the place

Students at the Government school in the old fort area of Chamarajpet are deprived of toilet facilities.

The Karnataka Public School (Old Fort School) and Karnataka Tamil Primary School in dilapidated condition at the old Fort area in Chamarajpet limits.

A toilet meant for the specially-abled children at the Government School in the Old Fort area of Chamarajpet is in dilapidated condition and shut for several months.

Children in schools across the state begin the day with a morning prayer, but students of an 82-year-old government school in Chamarajpet, the cultural centre of the city, are busy clearing liquor bottles and vestiges of illicit activities, thanks to official indifference.

The dilapidated building houses the Government Kannada and Tamil Higher Primary School as well as a kindergarten. However, it is unsafe for children even during the day as trespassers enter the premises easily. At night, it is a hub for raucous groups of youth who consume liquor and food and litter the place.

The school is right opposite the Bengaluru Medical College and Research Institute, close to the VV Puram police station and Victoria Hospital and just a scream away from the office of the Deputy Director for Public Instruction (DDPI) and Block Education Officer (BEO).

The school was established in 1939. Currently, classes are conducted under the Vidyagama scheme where Tamil medium has 33 children and Kannada medium has around 28 for primary classes, and 10 children are admitted to LKG and UKG.

Despite repeated pleas and “oral complaints” from the teachers, nothing has changed. Now, the students have invited Primary and Secondary Education Minister S Suresh Kumar to visit the school.

“This is the everyday scene. We still clear liquor bottles in the morning liked we always used to,” said a student of Class 7. “We have brought this to the notice of the officials,” said a senior teacher.

Local shopkeepers said the school has been a permanent base for some followers of a local leader.

With toilets in a pathetic condition, children must relieve themselves at home in the evening after school hours.

BEO South 2 L H Muthaiah said, “A few repairs are needed. We have written to higher officials but are not aware of other issues.”