Students have a tough time reaching school in Hisar village

Schools reopened today after remaining closed for nearly two weeks due to flood-like conditions. Students of Sulkhani village had to ride a tractor-trailer to reach the government senior secondary school and government primary school located on the same campus in the village today.

The government primacy school has 170 students, while 350 students are enrolled in the senior secondary school. The schools were closed due to waterlogging in the village.

However, it was an unusual sight when students had to ride a tractor- trailer to reach the school premises. The entire street en-route to the school is still flooded. The water is still stagnant in some parts of the school as well. The playground and some rooms of the two portions of the same campus are still waterlogged.

According to villagers, the school authorities and some prominent villagers tried to find an alternative site to hold the classes in the school. When they could not find any appropriate space in the village community hall or elsewhere, it was decided that since the primary school was still waterlogged, classes for both schools would be conducted in the senior secondary school’s classrooms.

As the students gathered at some distance from the school, the village panchayat arranged tractor-trailer to ferry them to the school premises. Though classes resumed, the problems still persists as playground of the school is still submerged in water, making sports and other outdoor activities impossible.

School principal Rajkumar Sheoran said, “Though water is still standing in some portions of the campus, we made arrangements for students to sit in classrooms, verandas, and the library, all located on higher ground to ensure their safety. The villagers too admit that since half yearly examinations are likely to be conducted shortly, it’s important that students attend their classes.”

Villagers, including Salim and Rohtas, have urged the district administration to ensure a permanent drainage system to prevent waterlogging in the school and avoid disruptions of studies.