Tribune impact: Kasauli’s forgotten school gets a new lease of life

After years of neglect and despair, Government Elementary School, Garkhal, in Kasauli tehsil, is finally stirring back to life after its dilapidated plight was highlighted in these columns. Renovation work on the decades-old building has begun, much to the relief of 72 students and their two dedicated teachers who had been forced to shift to a cramped panchayat bhawan after their school was declared unsafe.

For nearly two years, the children had struggled in the borrowed two-room structure, with many of their academic and extracurricular activities curtailed. Their ordeal began in 2023 when torrential rains damaged the school beyond repair. Wide cracks split open its walls, the retaining walls leaned dangerously, and peeling paint revealed the extent of the building’s decay. The once-vibrant classrooms now stood abandoned, echoing only the silence of neglect.

Although Kasauli MLA Vinod Sultanpuri had laid the foundation stone for the renovation in May 2024 and a budget of Rs 20 lakh was sanctioned as early as 2023, the project remained stuck in limbo. Drawings were prepared, promises made, but the work languished for over two years, exposing the apathy of authorities towards children from mostly labour-class families who rely heavily on the government school.

Now, with the intervention of the block development office at Dharampur, repair work has finally taken off. Kasauli SDM Mahinder Singh confirmed that the old, unsafe structure is being dismantled to make way for reconstruction. Though the monsoon slowed initial progress, the work is picking up pace and is expected to be completed within a couple of months.

The two teachers, who have continued to teach against all odds, are hailed as pillars of resilience. Despite lacking even basic facilities, they ensured that learning did not stop. Their commitment has kept hope alive for the children, who dream of returning to proper classrooms where they can study, play and thrive.

The revival of Government Elementary School, Garkhal, is more than just a construction project — it is the restoration of dignity and opportunity to children who had been denied their rightful place of learning. As the old walls come down and new foundations rise, the villagers watch with cautious optimism, hoping that the authorities will this time match their words with action.