Sans roof, students of Punjab govt school sit on floor

Tribune News Service

Patiala, March 1

After reports surfaced of students being forced to sit on floors of Government Elementary School, Dhakansu Kalan, near Rajpura town of the district, the Punjab Human Rights Commission (PHRC) asked the Director Public Instructions of the Education Department to submit a report on the matter.

In one of its news reports, The Tribune had highlighted that on one hand, the state government was laying emphasis on turning schools into smart ones, while on the other hand, many schools were running sans basic infrastructure.

The state government had failed to provide a roof over the heads of about 180 students of the school.

The students said the classes were held in the open and the authorities forced them to sit on the floor in cold weather. The Education Minister had promised to provide a makeshift arrangement for the students, but failed to deliver on it.

The PHRC, in a letter to the Education Department, said the newspaper report shed light on how the students weren’t provided with basic facilities and were made to sit on the floor in the absence of classrooms.

In the month of June, last year, the school authorities had started classes in the open, fearing building collapse in rainy season.

On the condition of anonymity, a school teacher said, “The fact that the students have been sitting on floor for months reflects apathy of the officials of the Education Department. Despite repeated requests, the authorities concerned have not paid heed to our pleas. Since the classrooms were in shambles, we had to start classes in the open in view of safety of the students. For every lapse in security, accountability should be fixed.”