Berhampur: Teachers and other staff of several schools inundated in the recent flood in Ganjam district after the cyclone Arnab have started removing debris, silt and garbage from the classrooms and premises, as all schools in the district are set to open on Thursday. The district administration had scheduled to reopen the schools on Wednesday but changed the decision due to ongoing restoration works and preparedness for school opening.As per the preliminary report, 363 out of 3,890 schools across the district were fully submerged in the floodwater of river Rushikulya and its tributaries due to extreme rain after Arnab made landfall in Andhra Pradesh on Oct 28.The schools in Aska (43), Dharakote (20) and Purushottampur (19) blocks have been worst affected in the floods. The computer systems, science laboratories, books in libraries, textbooks, sports equipment and the rice stocked for the mid-day meals in several schools were damaged in the floodwater, sources said.Debris from most schools has been removed by engaging the labourers, said Ajay Kumar Patra, district education officer (DEO). “We have given one day to the school authorities to try to clean the school premises and open the schools for classes,” he said. The schools have remained shut since Oct 17 for puja vacation and as a precautionary measure for the cyclone.The school authorities in several schools raised their doubts over reopening the schools for the students. “Our school was submerged by floodwater of around 15 feet. Almost all facilities like computer systems, library books, science laboratory, etc have been damaged. The classrooms were full of silt,” said Rajani Rani Dash, headmistress of 109-year-old Haribar High School, Aska. They had no time to shift them as the water rushed suddenly into the town, she said. “By engaging labourers, they tried to clean up the classrooms. The school premises is still full of mud,” she added.“During the last five days, we are cleaning classrooms by engaging labourers. As the local labourers are not available, we brought them from the Hinjili,” said Meenakhi Nayak, principal of RT Higher Secondary School, Pratapur, in Purushottampur block.
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