Mid-terms on, students in flood-hit areas unaware

Aakanksha N Bhardwaj

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, September 10

Exams could not be held in six primary schools and three upper primary schools in the flood-hit Lohian block today because of low attendance. Even a few students who had come to the schools were caught unawares about the exams.

These exams are being conducted in all government schools for Classes III to XII.

The primary schools where exams were not held are at Mundi Cholian, Mundi Shehria, Mandala Channa, Dhakka Basti, Mundi Kasu and Mehrajwala villages. Five of the 116 students came to Government School, Mundi Cholian, but they were in the dark about the exams.

The scenario in Government Middle School (GMS), Mehrajwala, and Government High School (GHS) Mundi Kasu, was the same. At Mehrajwala, of 34 students, only two girls came. Only three students came to the GHS, Mundi Kasu, where the total strength is 80. These students came in the afternoon only after teachers sent across messages.

In the absence of the students, the teachers were left with no option but to continue cleaning the flood-affected premises.

When asked why the students were unaware of the exams, teachers said when the date sheet was announced, the schools were flooded and it was not possible to reach out to the students.

“The floods hit the area on August 19. We got the date sheet on August 27,” one of the teachers said. They said the families of the students were also not allowing them to come to the schools because of the bad condition of the buildings and roads. Others said some of the students hailed from the villages which were still inaccessible or inundated.

On the other hand, 151 of the 172 students appeared for the test in Government High School, Nawan Pind Khalewal. The attendance was good in Government Primary School in the village which was also affected by floods.

When contacted, DEO (Secondary) Harinder Pal said the remaining schools in the Lohian block recorded 90 per cent attendance. “In schools where attendance was low, the exams will be held as per the orders of the Education Department,” he said.