Baddowal school roof collapse: Makeshift classes leave students, teachers hassled
A Social Studies teacher died and three others were injured after the roof of the school’s staff room collapsed on August 23
: Using hard floor as chairs and their laps as tables, students of the Government Senior Secondary School in Baddowal are facing a tough time after they were shifted to makeshift rooms following the roof collapse of the school’s staff room that left the building sealed for inquiry into the incident.
A Social Studies teacher died and three others were injured after the roof of the school’s staff room collapsed on August 23. The school has been sealed since then due to the ongoing ongoing inquiry into the incident.
More than 200 students of Classes from 9-12 of the school now occupy a common hall at Baddowal Baba Deep Singh Ji Gurdwara, where seven classes of different grades are conducted simultaneously. The absence of proper desks and chairs has compelled the students to use the hard floors as seats and their laps as makeshift desks. Moreover, with exams scheduled from September 11, concerns have been raised about students’ readiness and performance.
The makeshift hall includes two sections of Class nine, four sections of Class 11, and one section of Class 12. Teachers face the daunting task of taking classes without the basic essentials like blackboards and tables.
Other lower classes of the school have been shifted to primary and middle wing of the school.
Kirat Singh, a Class 12 student, said, “It is hard to grasp what the teacher is saying due to lots of commotion and disruption from other classes. We have our exams scheduled from September 11, but if it continues like this, I am afraid we will not be able to prepare and perform well.”
A science teacher, who takes classes of 11th and 12th grade at these makeshift classrooms said, “We have numerical problems and other science concepts that cannot be explained without blackboards. We cannot teach the entire class by solving problems on a single notebook. Additionally, we sometimes have to deliver lectures at the top of our voices to reach the last student, creating a noisy mess far from the ideal classroom setting.”
The absence of proper seating arrangements and the need to keep notebooks on laps further add to the the difficulties faced by both educators and learners.
“Sitting in a weird posture is taking a toll on our backs and necks. Without proper seating, it is difficult to maintain notebooks and write down what the teacher is dictating. We hope to return as soon as possible because the current situation is making it hard for us to focus,” a student said.
“With students huddled in corners against the wall and fatigued due to lack of proper seating arrangements, it becomes challenging for them to focus, and for us to teach,” a Class 12 teacher said requesting anonymity.
Attendance initially plummeted, with only 30% of the total students showing up in the early days of the makeshift arrangement. While students have gradually overcome their hesitance, attendance remains lower than usual, with only 70% of the total students attending classes regularly.
“Several senior class students come to school from far-flung villages like Sunet, Tharike, Baddowal, Ayali, Bains, etc., who find it difficult to navigate their way to the gurdwara, which is 2km further inside the village,” a teacher said on the basis of anonymity.
District Education Officer (DEO) Secondary Dimple Madan reassured the students and their families, saying, “Due to the major incident, the administration is conducting several safety audits to ensure that the campus is safe for the school to reopen. The work is in progress, and the school campus will reopen soon.”
