By: Ahmad Shabir
Anantnag: The government run primary school Langanbal in zone Aishmuqam presents a complete grim picture of the education sector as it operates from 2 rented rooms and one female teacher manages all the affairs.
Set up in 2003 as education volunteer centre and upgraded as primary school in 2008 under the centrally sponsored scheme SSA for the students of Gujjar community, the school still functions from a two rented rooms with no water and toilet facility. The school has 45 students on roll with just one female teacher to teach them.
Locals who spoke to Precious Kashmir rued the failure of the authorities in upgrading the infrastructure of the school in all these years.
“It is an irony that the authorities have failed to construct the building for the school since it was upgraded as primary school 13 years ago,” local residents said.
The school till 2015 was functioning from a rented accommodation in Langanbal locality for which it had been actually sanctioned. However, in 2015 , after the BJP-PDP government ordered the clubbing of schools with less roll into nearby schools, this school , according to locals , too was clubbed with primary school Gojran Lidroo.
Last year, the school was again detached but much to the surprise of residents of Langanbal, the authorities identified the two roomed accommodation for the same in Rukantar locality, nearly a km from where it was functioning till 2014.
A local resident questioned the wisdom of authorities of changing the location of the school after being detached from the one it had been clubbed with.
“Since 2008 the school was functioning in Langanbal in a building with five rooms and other facilities available. But much to our surprise the authorities few months back shifted the school to Rukantar, the upper area of the locality,” he said.
Out of 45 students, more than half, according to locals belong to Langanbal and none of them has been attending the school since it was shifted to the upper area.
“Since the location where the school has been shifted now is not safe for the students so we have decided not to send our children to school. Threat of wild animals is always there so we cannot compromise with the safety of our children,” said another resident.
He wondered as to how the authorities can shift the school from the safer location and five roomed accommodation to the hilly area where there are just two rooms for 45 students.
The locals also rued that the authorities have failed even to depute more teachers to the school. “How can a single female teacher handle 45 students studying in five classes. This indicates how the people at helm are serious in improving the quality of education in schools,” they said.
Chief Education Officer (CEO), Anantnag, Mr Shad said that he will talk to the concerned ZEO and ensure that one more teacher is deputed in the school. “If this is a case i will definitely look into it. School should function from the locality for which it has been sanctioned,” the CEO said.
