Opened with much fanfare during Mayawati's last tenure as CM in 2002 and revived in 2007, the Mahatma Jyotiba Rao Phule Rajkiya Swachhkar Ashram Paddati Vidyalaya was meant for the children of rag pickers.

Launched under the Centre's Ashram Paddati Vidyalaya Scheme, the school was run by the Uttar Pradesh Social Welfare Department. The coeducation school aimed to give a dignified life to these children by imparting vocational training alongwith formal education.

But not only was no vocational training ever provided, the school stopped functioning in early 2005. "The Samajwadi Party government had stopped providing funds," explained a school employee.

The school was revived in May 2007 after Mayawati became the chief minister. Most of the students and five of the seven teachers came back too. But after seven months' of classes, the situation is back to square one.

With even the new government failing to release funds, the school, which closed for winter vacations on December 4, never reopened.

"Though the government has changed, funds have not been released to us. In fact, we don't even know till date what is the exact budget allotted to us. There is no regular mess for the children as the in-charge hasn't been paid from a long time," said the school employee.