Sultanpur Lodhi: Schools reopen tomorrow, wait gets longer for Baupur students

With their school still submerged under seven-foot water, 137 students of Government Elementary School and Government High School, Baupur Jadid, won’t be able to make it to their class on September 9.

While the state government has declared that schools and colleges will open in Punjab Tuesday onwards, for students of the twin government schools of Baupur, the wait is going to be longer.

It has been nearly a month since the students of flood-affected areas haven’t gone to school. Currently the red, double-storeyed building of the school is under water and is approachable only by a boat.

As rain lashed Sultanpur Lodhi this morning, the water levels rose. Teachers said they have no hope of teaching students for 15 days to a month. Government Elementary School, Baupur Jadid, has 72 students and Government High School 65. Together, the 137 students haven’t attended school since August 11, when waters first inundated 17 villages of Sultanpur Lodhi.

In the past two years, the schools have flooded twice. The teachers said 2025 floods are the worst they have seen.

Teacher in-charge of Government Elementary School, Baupur Jadid, Amandeep Singh said, “The flood this year is the worst. Earlier, in about 15 days, the water began receding, but this time, the classes are still under water. The directions have been given to get the premises cleaned before the classes begin, but in our school, we can’t even do that. Erosion in the Rampur Gaura advance bundh and strong current has caused much damage to the school. Most of our equipment and furniture is damaged. It will take more than 15 days to a month for classes to resume.”

Amandeep has been deputed with Government Elementary School, Lakh Warian, (with 70 students), which too, acts as a relief camp for people.

Amandeep adds, “Earlier, we used to hold classes at Baupur gurdwara but this time, that too is flooded. Even after schools open for days, we have to leave pumps on as the water comes out dirty and polluted. Fans have to be left on and classes dried up so that students may not get sick.”

Jograj Singh, a 13-year-old student of the elemenraty school hasn’t gone to school since August 11. His class has 25 students whom he misses. While all children of the area have been sent off to relatives, Jograj cradles a sick “vacchi” (calf) as he aides his “bapu” (grandpa) at the bundh to take fodder to their other cattle.

Jograj says, “We haven’t been to school. I’m getting bored. But we will have to wait for water to go down.”

While some students were earlier going to private schools via boats, that journey, too, was deemed perilous amid rising currents.