A state government-run primary school in Madhya Pradesh has been functioning without a building in the Khand area of Shahdol district, highlighting the administration's apathy towards providing basic infrastructure for some schools in the state.
Students attend classes under a tree, squatting on the ground- no seats, no mats, just patches of jute sacks, even as teachers sit in chairs with a big table in front of them.
A small board, resting against the trunk of the tree, serves as a blackboard.
In the state budget for the current fiscal, Rs 24,499 crores were allocated to various schemes of the school education department.
But that money doesn't seem to have reached this school-under-a-tree yet.
The District Education Officer denied having any information about the school in the Khand area. However, he added that the administration will try to construct a building if that is indeed the case.
"I am not aware of it. Buildings have been constructed for most of the schools in the district. If there is a school without building, we will try to construct one," said the officer.