Reopening of primary schools brings joy to two villages

People in two villages of Sidhwan Bet 2 — Khudayi Chak and Chandigarh Channa — are a happy lot. The reason? The two Government Primary Schools in these villages, which had been shut for over seven years, have now reopened. Not only have they reopened, but 25 students in each school in these villages have already enrolled.

“It has truly been remarkable for everyone — the Education Department, the villages and the students. These two primary schools were closed due to non-availability of the teachers. But recently, the district Education Department has been provided with 300 new teachers, who were appointed by the state government,” said Ravinder Kaur, the District Education Officer (DEO). She visited the villages with her team to facilitate the students’ admissions.

Both of these schools reopened on April 1, with two teachers assigned to each school. These teachers are permanent staff, temporarily adjusted on deputation. Since the schools have reopened, the villagers have expressed their happiness and satisfaction, knowing that their children will now have access to education right in their own villages.

Gurmel Singh, an octogenarian, said the scarcity of teachers had led to the closure of the schools, forcing children to travel to other villages for their education. For many parents, it was difficult to drop off and pick up their children. “This is a silver lining, they can now study here in their own villages,” he said.

The DEO also mentioned that in a few months, there are plans to open another Government Primary School in Balloke village. “We need to work on the building and the school will be opening soon,” she said.

At present, the students are being admitted to classes UKG to V in these schools.