Deprived of school premises, students in Pulwama village study in tin sheds

Pulwama, May 6: Scores of students in Chiwai Kalan village, 6 kms from south Kashmir’s Pulwama, town are studying in tin sheds in the absence of a school building.

More than 70 students at Government Upper Primary School, Chiwai Kalan have been studying in dilapidated sheds made of rusty corrugated tin sheets for the past two years.

Residents of the village, whose children study in these sheds, said that the students had to bear the brunt of harsh weather conditions.

“During the sweltering summers, the tin sheds felt like a furnace, making it impossible for the students to concentrate on their studies”, said Ghulam Mohammad, a resident. He said that a new school building had been under construction for the last two years. “The construction work is progressing at snail’s pace with frequent interruptions”, said the resident. Another resident said that the students were also vulnerable to dog attacks as the premises was not fenced.

He said that the school authorities had also pitched a tent to accommodate more students. The resident said that in the absence of washrooms, the students had to go back to their homes to relieve themselves, disrupting their studies and causing tremendous inconveniences.

Ghulam Mohammad Itoo, Zonal Education Officer (ZEO),Pulwama said that a major portion of the work had been completed. “I have been informed by the R&B Department, the executing agency, that around 80 percent of the work had been completed”, he said.

The ZEO said that the construction work would be completed in a month.