Term I exams deferred in flood-hit areas, 10,000 students to get school bag kits

The SCERT has issued notification to the district education office and respective heads of the schools in blocks severely affected by the floods regarding the postponement of the Term I exams. The exams were scheduled for September. While the exams are being conducted in all other government schools across the state, the schools that are yet to reopen due to excessive damage caused by the floods have been asked to schedule the exams between October 3 and 8.

In Amritsar, 13 government schools, including primary, middle, high and senior secondary schools, are still shut due to cleaning and other repair works being done after the assessment of damage caused by the floods. These schools are based in Ajnala 2 and Chogawan blocks.

DEO (Secondary), Amritsar, Rajesh Sharma said the school heads have been asked to submit daily assessment reports. He said the department is aware that several students from these areas have lost their books, notebooks and other learning material in floods. “The department, with the support of the administration and several non-profit organisations engaged in flood relief work, has collected school bags, books and copies for students studying in government schools that were completely damaged. We are aware that students are facing difficulty in pursuing their education. We will provide school bag kits to all the students of government schools in the flood-affected areas,” he said.

As per a survey report submitted by DEO Rajesh Kumar Sharma and DEO (Elementary), Amritsar, Kanwaljit Singh Sandhu, more than 10,000 students are in need of school bag kits. Deputy Commissioner Sakshi Sawhney has directed Samson Masih, Secretary, Red Cross, Amritsar, to coordinate with social service organisations to provide school bag kits to the students of government schools and orders were given to purchase school bag kits as per the requirement and deliver them to needy students in time. Initially, 1,500 kits (which include school bags, copies, pencils, colours, sharpeners, rubber, water bottles and other educational materials) were sent to school students while others will follow soon.

Meanwhile, teachers from affected areas, leading the re-building efforts, say that getting students back to schools will be a challenge. “Most of these students from nearby villages have no homes, their parents are daily wagers and there is a loss of income due to the floods. In such cases, children are usually engaged in odd jobs and rebuilding work in fields to help the family. Also, with the loss of learning material, there has also been disconnect with classroom learning. Bridging these learning gaps is also going to be a task,” said Aarti, the head teacher, Government Middle School, Macchiwal, Ajnala.