UPS Tral sans building, students left high and dry
Pulwama: Belying the tall claims of bringing reforms in the education sector, a Government Upper Primary School (UPS) in Shajan area of Tral in southern Kashmir’s Pulwama district has no building to accommodate the students.
The residents said the school was established around two decades ago but the school has seen no sign of development till date.
“Till date the two-decade old school is running without a building which openly exposes the sorry state of affairs,” the residents said.
The residents said the school was functional in a small cowshed type structure which was in dilapidated condition.
Later, a local offered two rooms of his house where the school is functioning currently from a makeshift arrangement.
“Students of eight classes are adjusted in two rooms and under such conditions, students are unable to concentrate on what they are taught,” Mukhtar Ahmad, a local resident said.
He said that teachers also face problems in managing students of four classes in one room.
“For better education of our children we need to have good school infrastructure. But, unfortunately the school sans the basic infrastructure,” he said.
He said the lack of infrastructure forces parents to send their kids to nearby private schools.
“People of the area are financially very weak and cannot afford to admit their wards in private schools but we have no other option than to opt for private schools if the government run schools work in such pathetic conditions,” another local said.
The residents said they brought this issue in notice of concerned authorities several times but to no avail.
The teachers, according to the residents, have also voiced concern over the failure of the authorities to provide the new school building for the students but nothing happened.
“School administration had sent countless reminders and requests to the education department to resolve the problems but to no avail,” the locals said.
The residents of the areas urged the higher ups to look into the matter at an earliest so that students get proper accommodation in this school.
Jahangeer Ganaie
