Unsafe building poses threat to government school students

Sameer Singh

Tribune News Service

Bathinda, August 18

Students of Government School (both high and primary wing), Chandsar Basti, have been attending classes in unsafe buildings. The building has not seen any major repair for the past many years.

Due to excessive seepage of water, plaster has peeled-off from walls and danger of them coming apart looms large. There are six classrooms on the school campus, out of which four rooms are in a really bad shape. In one of the room, the ceiling has tilted downward and may cave-in at any moment. Walls have developed cracks due to the excessive seepage.

There are as many as 252 students and nine sections in the high school. Owing to disrepair of rooms, some classes are held in the school verandah as well.

Jasbir Singh, principal of the high school, said: “The school building needs major overhaul and we have intimated higher officials in the district Education Department. We have been waiting for their response.”

Sources said repairs or patchworks would not fix the problem permanently. Authorities must demolish all unsafe rooms and then reconstruct them to make sure that students attend classes in safe building.

There are 366 students in primary and pre-primary wing of the school. Out of 10 rooms, four rooms are unsafe and owing to paucity of rooms, students are made to attend classes in these rooms. Primary-wing students also attend some classes in the verandah.

A teacher of primary wing said furniture and infrastructure are secondary issues for students. The Education Department must first make sure that they fulfil the very basic need of classrooms.

District Education Officer (elementary education), Hardeep Singh, said: “The school heads did not provide us comprehensive detail, which needs to be submitted through a report with a map of the school and pictures depicting condition of rooms/buildings. When we receive the report from them, we will take necessary steps, including fund allocation.”