Ludhiana: Merely changing names won’t help, govt schools cry for attention

Shivani Bhakoo

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Ludhiana, July 4

If a child is to grow into a responsible, financially independent and intelligent citizen, their foundation must be strong. In an effort to persuade children to attend government schools over private ones, the state government has converted numerous existing schools into Schools of Eminence for senior students and Schools of Happiness for primary students.

However, simply changing the names will not solve the problem; the schools require a complete overhaul. During his visit to the city on June 27, Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains announced that the government was establishing Schools of Happiness to brighten the lives of primary school students.

Facilities available at smart schools

• Smart classrooms with projectors
• Beautification of building and gates
• CCTV cameras
• Smart uniforms
• Digital school bells
• Dual desk and pre-primary furniture
• PT drums
• Toys for pre-primary students
• Desktop computers
• Laptop, colour printers to clusters
• Library

By implementing smart classrooms, the erstwhile Congress government designated nearly all government schools as ‘smart schools’ in 2019.

“Everyone liked the idea of bringing in projectors to help students learn more effectively. However, there are several additional concerns regarding the child’s overall development such as clean playgrounds, enough teachers to cover a wide range of subjects, exposure to different environments, spacious classrooms, nutritious food, potable water, and so on. There are still many essential amenities missing from schools, particularly in rural areas,” said the principal of Mangat Block’s Government Primary School.

A visit to one such smart primary school at Walipur village revealed how the lone teacher struggled with as many as 40 students. “Many of them have returned for classes. They range from pre-primary to Class V, and I try to manage both the teaching and administrative work,” said Rajni, the school’s sole in-charge-cum-teacher.

According to standard practise, one teacher should be assigned to every 30 students in a class. “Obviously, if there are 40 students in a rural school, one teacher will suffice; another teacher will be assigned only if the student population exceeds 60. Some teachers are now crying about the issue, while those who are truly dedicated try to enrol as many students as possible in order to provide better education. Everything depends on the teacher’s mindset,” said DEO Harjinder Singh.

Many of these schools lack basic infrastructure facilities such as adequate classrooms, sanitised restrooms, CCTV cameras, and so on for a variety of reasons. There are 992 Smart Schools in the district that are being converted into School of Happiness.

The schools will bring real happiness on the faces of both students and parents if all the prescribed parameters are fulfilled, just changing names will not serve the purpose. Many schools are crying for attention as the classrooms are unsafe, the ceilings leak during the monsoon, there are no playgrounds, students sit in congested and mouldy classrooms, there is not enough class IV staff to maintain hygiene, the list goes on.