Hallo Majra school — it’s still the pits

Charu Chhibber

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, January 18

Poor infrastructure, hazardous conditions, unbearable stink rising from a garbage-disposing facility in the vicinity and two makeshift structures that act as part of the school. This is Government Model High School, Hallo Majra. With a student strength of 2,800, the school is everything it should not be.

Nothing has changed for the school since Chandigarh Tribune highlighted the plight of the students last year on August 8. This, despite assurances from officials of the Education Department.

The prevailing conditions of the school not only risk the safety of children but also make proper education a distant dream. The school does not have an adequate number of classrooms, lacks boundary wall and playground and is surrounded by wild growth. The approach road is nearly absent and deep potholes mark the way to the school right through the middle of a busy marketplace.

The school is operating from three different buildings, including a temporary structure covered with pre-fabricated tin sheds with no boundary wall. Some classes are also run inside the old, dilapidated dispensary. In the main building, the students often have to attend classes in the corridor. The school runs in a double shift and from 12.30 pm to 1.30 pm, there is a lot of noise and chaos with the evening shift students coming in and the morning shift ones leaving.

And if that is not enough, the “main” school building has a temple situated just a few feet away, which is separated with a wire mesh wall. As a result, there is a lot of disturbance and high levels of noise due to which the studies are badly affected. Also, there is only one staircase that caters to nearly 3,000 individuals, which includes students, teaching and non-teaching staff of the school. In case of an emergency, evacuating the building within a short span is near impossible.

Security and safety of children is severely compromised at all three buildings where classes are run. The dispensary building is very old and dingy.

Teachers have to walk from one building to the other many times a day which wastes time and students have to walk to the main building if they need to visit the computer lab, library or the office. Teachers say mid-day meal is the only lure that brings most students to school everyday.

“We are teaching in uninhabitable conditions. And despite repeated assurances from the Education Department that land for the new building will be given, we don’t see that happening anytime soon,” said a teacher.