3 rooms for 9 classes in Bandipora school

Bandipora, July 7: Students at Hapatnar village in Quilmuqam of north Kashmir's Bandipora district are suffering due to a shortage of infrastructure in a school building.

Locals said that the Government Boys Middle School in Quil Educational Zone at Hapatnaar lacks proper classrooms, washroom facilities, fencing, and teachers.

They said that around 150 school children with enormous potential were receiving education in extremely sad circumstances.

Abdul Wahid Shah, the village head, said, “Students of eight classes are merged into three classrooms. How can teachers deliver efficiently in these circumstances?”

Despite complaints to officials including the Zonal Education Officer (ZEO), Chief Education Officer (CEO), and the Governor's Grievance Cell, no action has been taken.

Established in 1986 as a state primary school, the school was upgraded to a middle school in 2007 and shifted to new buildings constructed that year.

“However, the school besides classrooms, still lacks fencing and washrooms,” Shah said.

Ghulam Nabi Chopan, the school’s head teacher, acknowledged the dearth of classrooms, saying they have to merge two to three classes in four rooms across two school buildings.

He said the present roll of the school was 123 and that five teachers were posted there.

Shah contested these claims saying, “Every five to six months, teachers either retire or are transferred from the school in clear violation of teacher-student ratio.”

Local villagers said that the government should address the grievance and take immediate steps to make proper arrangements at the school, ensuring uninterrupted education and a safe environment for children.