161 primary schools suffered damage due to floods: DEO

Most government primary schools in Amritsar district, especially in the flood-hit blocks of Ajnala, Chogawan and Lopoke, have been badly affected and damaged by floods. Kanwaljit Singh Sandhu, District Education Officer (Elementary), Amritsar, after inspecting the government schools (including those at Ladeh, Ranewali, Adliwala, Buanangali, Sahansara, Rajasansi) that reopened after heavy rains in state, said that 161 primary schools and several senior secondary schools have incurred infrastructural damage that will take time to repair.

"Except for some low-lying areas where there is still flood or rainwater, all schools in the district have re-opened and the department has launched a cleaning campaign in schools affected by rains. Teachers are leading from the front and keeping in mind the health safety of the students, mosquito repellent smoke and medicines are being sprayed in schools," said Sandhu. The damaged school buildings are being inspected by joint teams of the Public Works Department (PWD) and the Education Department. Sandhu launched a helpline number 7973696051 to help students and teachers of government primary schools in the district, where primary teachers and students can contact regarding any update on school building maintenance issues and challenges being faced after the floods.

Meanwhile, heads of several senior secondary schools in Ajnala block are facing challenges head-on as they begin cleaning and sanitising schools. Many school buildings were inundated with water. Classrooms, furniture, cupboards, inverters, files etc have been destroyed and teachers are in a limbo as to how to move ahead. "The link roads leading to schools are broken and buildings still have flood water inside. There is six-seven inches of mud and sand inside rooms and we have to engage two workers every day to clean it. The school grounds are huge and so weeding and looking for snakes or dangerous insects is another task," said Swaranjit Singh, head, Government Senior Secondary School, also renamed as PM Shree School, Gaggomahal. The school has 20 classrooms, including three labs. "Two of our labs, including science and agriculture lab, are damaged as three to four inches of water still remains there. The computer lab somehow escaped damage," he said.

Another teacher Pankaj Sharma, from Government Middle School, Bhoewali, Ajnala, said that several schools in nearby villages of Awan, Misoka, Kotli Aamb and Sultan Mahal too have incurred damages. 'In most of these schools, ration for mid-day meals have been spoiled, the cooking areas have rainwater or algae growth that needs to be cleaned and sanitised. There is also power supply disruption, seepage and the fear of snakes lurking inside classrooms. Teachers are taking the help of local villagers to catch the snakes," he said. Government Senior Secondary School, Thoba, too is inundated, making re-opening a delayed affair.