Suhail Bhat
Srinagar, Sept 4: The Government Boys High School Haygam, located in the Kangan area of central Kashmir’s Ganderbal district, is grappling with several pressing issues, including a lack of drinking water, washrooms, and proper infrastructure, affecting the safety and overall learning environment of its students.
The school operates out of a makeshift tin shed, which has become unbearable for students during the ongoing hot weather, prompting teachers to conduct classes under the shade of trees within the premises.
The most critical challenges facing the school are the lack of proper infrastructure, including a building, access to drinking water, and washroom facilities. This dire situation forces students to seek out these basic amenities in nearby houses, leading to disruptions in their education. The female students, in particular, face extreme hardships due to the absence of washrooms on the school premises.
“First of all, we lack washrooms here, and we have to go to neighbouring houses to use washrooms. We are girls, and the government should think about it. We do not have drinking water facilities here and have to drink water from the nearby stream, which is very dirty. This also puts the children at risk, as small kids can easily slip into the stream, and their parents would then blame teachers,” an 8th-grade student, speaking on behalf of her fellow classmates, said.
Sadia, another student, highlighted the lack of a proper school building, explaining that classes are often cancelled when it rains, and during hot weather, they are compelled to study under the shade of trees. “We have to lay mats under trees because we only have a tin shed here. Up to 8th grade, we study under the trees, while 9th, 10th, and 7th-grade classes are held inside the tin sheds,” she said.
Inayat Bashir, a local resident, informed that the school was upgraded to a high school in 2012 from a middle school, but it has been operating from just three rooms since then. Expressing frustration, he said, “Many officials have visited the school, but nothing has happened. Now, I want the LG administration to kindly look into the issue. It is quite unfortunate that officials are sitting in their AC rooms while our kids are receiving education from this tin shed in this hot weather,” he said.
When it rains, he added, the school is forced to close as water enters the makeshift classrooms. “When kids have to use washrooms, we receive calls from the school to take our children home for washroom use. We also have to take them to other buildings for midday meals, which disrupts our work,” he said.
District Development Council (DDC) member from Kangan, Tasmeena Adil, acknowledged the severity of the issue and said that she had visited the school twice with officials from the concerned department. “The issue is genuine, as children are studying under a tin shed, and there are no facilities like washrooms,” she said.
Rafiq Ahmad, the Zonal Education Planning Officer, explained that the demand for improved facilities has been pending for a long time and has arisen due to an increase in student enrollment. “The CPW had provided extra land where these tin sheds are built. We constructed the tin sheds and two toilets,” he said.
He further said that the government had sanctioned compensation of around 10 lakhs to the CPW, and a proposal for a new building was approved.
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