Bhopal: You may have seen govt hoardings of this school, dotting public spaces and standing out for attention. It now turns out that Govt Sandipani Higher Secondary School at Bada Malhera in Chhatarpur district, which the state has been projecting as a flagship learning institution equipped with facilities rivalling private schools, stands as the very opposite of what it’s made out to be.A special inspection team from Bhopal detected serious deficiencies at the ‘flagship’ school, not just in terms of the quality of learning dispensed but also in security, hygiene, laboratories, sports and administration. The grave findings at the campus, which the state has been aggressively promoting as the very model of public education under its auspices, have now prompted show-cause notices to teachers and staff, including the principal-in-charge of the school.Significantly, notices were served to 58 teachers, who have been asked to respond within a week.The inspection, conducted on Oct 3 under directions from the Commissioner of Public Instruction as part of statewide monitoring of Sandipani schools, has put the institution’s claim to ‘excellent’ standards under scrutiny. Earlier reports mentioned the date of inspection and issuance of notices as Oct 4, a Sunday. But, the education department later clarified that it happened on Oct 3, alluding the discrepancy to a typing error.The inspection team found the school’s main gate shut and no security personnel posted at the entrance. A guard, the only one posted against a sanctioned strength of 10, opened the gate only after considerable effort.The visiting inspectors found not a single present when it reached the campus, despite a National Means-cum-Merit Scholarship (NMMS) examination being scheduled there on the day. The students, according to local reports, had been dismissed at 2.30 pm, well before the inspection team reached anywhere near the campus.Further, of the school’s seating capacity for 2,190 students, only 375 appeared for the NMMS examination. It was found that several teachers had not signed the timetable, while higher-secondary teachers were allegedly not taking classes of standards 9 and 10 or teaching during assigned periods. Classrooms, the team learned, were frequently found empty, raising questions over the delivery of routine academic instruction.The principal-in-charge, the team found out, had allegedly run up an irregular attendance record, often leaving before the scheduled closing time and shielding negligent staff rather than taking corrective action.The notice issued to the school stated that earlier inspections by the block and district education officers had flagged similar deficiencies, but no improvement followed.The school’s Physics, Chemistry and Biology laboratories were found locked and extremely unhygienic, as the notice stated, suggesting they were not being used. The library reportedly had no books, while corridors, toilets and the campus were dirty, giving off a foul smell.Sports infrastructure was found similarly inadequate, with insufficient equipment available for students, while music classes had only a harmonium and a dholak (a traditional two-headed Indian drum). Neither were adequate arrangements found for transportation of students.Enrolment data added to concerns over the school’s functioning, as against a target of 880 students in classes 9 to 12, only 527 were enrolled, while classes 1 to 8 recorded 1,280 enrolments against a target of 1,160—a combined 120 seats lying vacant.Some teachers, the team pointed out, were found to be on medical leave without submitting medical certificates.The education department directed the staff, issued notices, to submit written explanations with supporting documents within three days, adding that unsatisfactory responses may lead to disciplinary proceedings.Confirming the notices issued, DEO Chhatarpur PK Raikwar, said the teachers have been asked to reply in a week. “Teachers are under scrutiny,” Raikwar said.The findings suggest that despite its flagship branding and the private school-like infrastructure, the Bada Malhera Sandipani school is deficient in providing even basic academic, sanitation, security and co-curricular facilities.