Students suffer amid space crunch, staff shortage at Govt Middle School Hajin Nad Tral
Parents demand urgent government intervention to safeguard children’s education
Pulwama: The students in Hajin Nad Tral area of south Kashmir’s Pulwama district are suffering due to space crunch as well as due to the shortage of staff, locals alleged Thursday.
They said that the school has only five teachers to manage over 150 students, and to make matters worse, one of them is frequently unavailable due to election-related duties as a Booth Level Officer (BLO) in the neighbouring Satoora area.
“The teachers here are doing their best under difficult circumstances, but how can five teachers handle so many students effectively? One of them is mostly out for BLO duties, which makes it even harder,” said Ghulam Rasool Dar, a concerned parent.
Adding to the problem is the school’s deteriorating infrastructure. It currently operates from three small, cramped buildings that locals say are wholly inadequate for such a large student population.
“There is an urgent need for a single large school building with proper classrooms by dismantling the existing ones. The current setup is suffocating—students are crammed together and can’t focus properly,” said Firdousa Jan, the mother of a Class 7 student.
“Our children come from poor families. We can’t afford private schools. If the government doesn’t step in, who will,” she added.
Teachers at the school echoed these concerns, stating they were trying their best but the situation was far from ideal.
“We try our best to manage with what we have, but without more staff and proper infrastructure, the learning process is definitely being compromised,” said one of the teachers, speaking on condition of anonymity.
We are not asking for luxuries—just the basics so our children can learn with dignity,” said Mohammad Shafi Lone, another resident.
“We hope the administration wakes up to our plight before another academic year goes waste,” Lone added.
Most parents in Hajin Nad work as daily wage labourers or small-time farmers. For them, government education is the only feasible route to give their children a better future.
The local residents have appealed to the Deputy Commissioner of Pulwama and the local Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) to take immediate action.
