Suhail Bhat
Srinagar, Mar 8: Denting claims of authorities to streamline the education sector in the Valley, majority of the Government schools in Srinagar city are functioning from rented accommodation and lack basic facilities.
As per the figures of Education Department, out of 519 schools, 308 schools operate from rented buildings in eight education zones of Srinagar. There are around 34 Higher Secondary Schools, 74 High Schools, 209 Middle Schools and 202 Primary Schools in Srinagar.
Few days back, the district administration released Rs 7 crore to concerned Collectors for acquiring eight rented buildings in which Government schools have been functioning in different areas of the district. These schools include those located in different areas including Nowhata, Bagh-e-Dedmari, Eidgah, Hawal, Batamaloo, Bemina, Zainakote and Malroo. However, a large number of schools continue to face problems in absence of proper infrastructure.
As per Government teachers, one of the main problems of Government schools for not performing well is the non-availability of proper infrastructure. “Why would a parent admit his child in a school that has no space available? There are highly qualified teachers in Government schools but due to the bad condition of the schools, people prefer private schools,” Mohammad Haneef, a Government teacher said.
He said due to lack of space, the students from different classes are huddled around the teachers resulting in chaos, confusion and noise. “Teachers have to wait for their turn to teach the rest of the classes and then people accuse Government teachers for not giving attention to the students,” he added.
An official blamed the lack of space in the city for not having their own buildings. “The non-availability of land has become a major issue for the department to provide facilities in the schools. These rented schools are functioning in congested areas in rented buildings due to the non-availability of land. There are some schools in the city running from just two or even a single room, leading to cramping of space and difficulties in conducting classes,” he said, adding that the worst part is we can’t even upgrade these rented buildings.
To deal with the crisis, many schools have been clubbed together leading to congestion. “Due to less roll of students, various schools were clubbed together and as a result, this created congestion in the schools. But what can we do, we are not able to identify any land in Srinagar where we can construct an ideal building for the school. There is plenty of land available on the city outskirts but we cannot shift a school from a particular area to another area,” she said.
Chief Education Officer Srinagar, Naseer Ahmad, when contacted said that they have taken up the matter with the administration and “solution will come itself”
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