Sanjeev K. Sharma
Jammu, Aug 26: Bizarre it may sound but is a bitter truth that students in a remote hamlet of Basholi have to travel 60 kilometers daily for continuing their post-matriculation schooling.
Sandhar-a small hamlet, 30 kms from Basholi in district Kathua has a Government school last upgraded in the year 1978 to high school level though it was established in 1901.
After passing matriculation from this school the students of Sandhar have to take admission at Government Higher Secondary School (HSS) Basholi and have to daily travel 30 km to reach the school and same distance in return journey.
“It is painful to see our girls travelling in overloaded buses to reach school,” Balwant Singh-a local of Sandhar said adding that only a few buses ply between Sandhar and Basholi and the students have to get in even the overloaded buses only to reach the school in time.
Bunty Rana (name changed)-another local also rued the same plight and said that High School Sandhar should be elevated to higher secondary level for the welfare of students.
Many more villagers of Sandhar said, as the school timing is 8 am so the students have to leave home at 6.30 in morning as they have to trek some distance to reach the road from where they catch the bus which further takes about one hour to reach Basoli and similar hardship lies in the return journey.
The villagers also informed that there are about 100 such students who daily move up and down to Basholi for post-matriculation education.
Still some villagers informed that to avoid daily up and down, few students have taken rooms on rent in Basholi and presently such students are at home as the schools are closed due to Coronavirus.
When contacted Kalian Singh, Sarpanch of Sandhar village said, High School of the village is housed in a very old building which is not properly maintained though it has a total of 13 rooms in all including a laboratory but most of the infrastructure is in dilapidated condition.
He also said that many teaching posts are lying vacant in the school which at present has student strength of 200.
“It was a primary in 1901, elevated to middle school level in 1965 and then to high school in 1978,” the Sarpanch informed adding that the school has so far produced many teachers, Army personnel etc.
He further said that a Higher Secondary school is very urgently needed in the village as the students have to daily travel 30 kms to reach Higher Secondary School Basholi .
“Though there is another Higher Secondary School at Bhoond area, about 18 km from Sandhar, but there is no proper transport facility for that, so Sandhar students prefer Basholi HSS.
When contacted Director School Education (DSE) Jammu, Anuradha Gupta said that issue of Sandhar school up-gradation came up many times but unfortunately there is no land available with the school while for school up-gradation Land Availability Certificate is the foremost requirement.
“We have also asked the Sarpanch of Sandhar and the people who have land adjoining to the school for land but they were reluctant to give the land saying it was agriculture land. Still we will look for some other alternates but as of now due to non-availability of land the High School of Sandhar can’t be up-graded,” she maintained.
The DSE also said, “If the people of Sandhar give us land then we will process recommendations for up-gradation of the school to Higher Secondary level.”
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