By The News Observer Desk,
Karwar: Shock and anger gripped teachers and parents on Monday morning after the campus of the Government Higher Primary Kannada School in Sadashivgad was found strewn with liquor bottles and heaps of garbage. Locals have further alleged that the miscreants even urinated inside the tank — the same tank that supplies drinking water to the students — deepening fears about possible contamination.
What should have been a safe and welcoming space for children had instead turned into a mess. The school grounds, located right opposite the Gram Panchayat office, were allegedly misused on Sunday under the pretext of a volleyball tournament.
According to local sources, a volleyball event was organised on February 15 under the leadership of a few former panchayat members. However, once the tournament concluded, some individuals reportedly stayed back and indulged in drinking, smoking, and chewing gutka within the school premises. By Monday morning, the aftermath was impossible to ignore. Members of the School Development and Monitoring Committee (SDMC) and several parents rushed to the school as news of the incident spread. Expressing their outrage, they questioned how such an act could take place in an educational institution.
“If this had happened in a private school, would society have remained silent? Is this happening because it is a government school where children from poor families study?” some parents asked, demanding accountability from the authorities. The incident has triggered strong public reaction, with residents calling on the police department and the education authorities to initiate strict legal action against those responsible for turning a temple of learning into what they described as a drinking den.
The situation was even more disturbing for students who arrived at school on Monday morning. Empty liquor bottles, cigarette packets, and food waste were scattered across the playground.
In a shocking discovery, liquor bottles were also found thrown inside the school’s drinking water tank, raising serious concerns about the health and safety of the children.
To make matters worse, it was the students themselves — along with their teachers — who had to clean up the campus before classes could begin. The sight left many disheartened and questioning how such negligence could occur in a place meant to nurture young minds.
Parents and local residents have urged the authorities to ensure that school premises are not rented out or used irresponsibly in the future, and that those who disrespected the institution are held accountable without delay.
Videography and Reporting By Saikiran Babrekar
