Video | Kids studying in Kajheri govt school have no classrooms

The students enrolled in this school can be seen attending their classes sitting on a dusty rug spread in a small corridor, sans fan.

The scene comes from Government High School, Kajheri, where out of 1,000 students, around 400 are forced to sit on floor every day as half of their building has been lying sealed ever since the new session commenced. There are no extra classrooms to accommodate these students despite the school being run in double shifts. Though eight sections of various classes have already been shifted to another government school in Sector 52 but the problem still persists here.

Two years ago, the first building at the school entrance, comprising 10 rooms, was declared unsafe for children due to several cracks in its walls. The department finally sealed the building this year, but made no arrangements to adjust the children or run the classes without any hassle. The sealed building had a math laboratory, sports room, medical room, mid-day meal room and a room where the classes for the children with special needs (CWSN), apart from Class 4, 5 and 6, used to take place. Now the school is deprived of all these facilities. However, the authorities managed to keep a room for mid-day meals.

As the HT reporter visited this school on Saturday afternoon, more than 50 students of Class 6 were seen sitting on the floor, fanning themselves with book covers and handkerchiefs. Meanwhile, Class 10 was being held right next to it and the students were visibly distracted every now and then.

On the condition of anonymity, one of the teachers teaching here for the past 10 years shared, “Earlier, at least the classrooms were somehow balanced with students but from the beginning of this session, many children had been made to suffer.”

“The students of Class 6 have been sitting on floor in the corridor and that too in front of the room where Class 10 students study. It is a big disturbance for them throughout the day. We have given several representations to the education department but nothing has been done so far.”

Meanwhile, another teacher added that even the parents of wards studying here are adamant on not moving their children to any other school. “Parents are fine if we make their kids sit on the floor but not with sending them to a nearby school which has adequate space. We have requested the officials to make Sector-53 government high school run in double shifts to accommodate our students.”

Deputy director school education Chanchal Singh said, “The building which is lying sealed has to be demolished in order to construct a new building but the accounts department will be in better position to tell about when the new building will be raised.”

“The order to dismantle that building has already been passed. Many students of Kajheri school have already been adjusted in Sector-53 school and if needed, we will move the remaining students to the next school as well,” he added. Commenting on this, UT education secretary KK Jindal assured to look into the matter.

Director school education Rubinderjit Singh Brar said, “Our deputy DEO has visited Kajheri school many times and she did not see any child sitting on the floor. She informed that all were sitting in classrooms on benches, though a little congested. Eight sections of primary classes have been shifted to nearby school in evening shift as that is a single shift school.”