Benches for food grains, not students!

Ishrat S Banwait

Tribune News Service

Panchkula, February 21

A government middle school and a primary school, being run from the same building at the Mansa Devi Complex, Sector 4, paint a picture of neglect. While the schools have enough space, these do not have enough benches and students are seen sitting on the floor inside classes.

In one classroom of the middle school, food grains were stored inside the room just behind the students. The school has a large ground but it is ill-maintained. The grass cover is uneven and wood and other material are stored along the walls. The headmistress says the boundary wall is being reconstructed and construction material has been kept there temporarily. The toilet block of the school is ill-maintained with two of the four toilets completely blocked and in unusable condition.

Water tanks are used for drinking water purposes, but there are no water purifiers. Many classrooms that do not receive direct sunlight are dimly lit.  The mid-day meal room of the primary school, although newly constructed, is in poor shape. The whole roof is damp along with the walls and mid-day meal workers say during rain, saving food grains is a tough task as there is water seepage. Men are seen sitting and smoking on the low boundary wall of the school along with junk food sellers. 

Vital stats 

Year of establishment: 2000

Number of students: 315

Number of teachers: 11

Middle school

Year of establishment: 2007

Number of students: 123

Number of teachers: 6

What is needed

• More furniture and benches
• Clean toilets
• Maintenance of playground
• Repair of mid-day meal room

What they say

"Shortage of furniture is a problem, but we keep telling schools to share it with nearby schools so that the demands are mutually met." — Sujata Rana, district elementary education officer

"Our huge playground is appreciated by parents. Acquiring more furniture will solve the problem of students sitting on the floor. The work on raising the height of the boundary wall is on." — Neelu Seth, headmistress, primary school