Rajouri school along LoC battles Govt neglect

Rajouri, Dec 6: The Government Higher Secondary School, Panjgrian, situated in Niaka Panjgrian village, is the sole higher secondary institution catering to 10 villages along the Line of Control (LoC) in Rajouri district’s Manjakote tehsil.

Despite being upgraded from a high school to a higher secondary school seven years ago, the government has failed to provide the requisite infrastructure.

“The school was upgraded seven years ago but only classes have been upgraded with no upgrading of building and infrastructure so far,” an elderly local, Muhammad Sher said.

He said the institution continues to operate from the existing high school building, severely lacking in adequate space.

“The dire situation has compelled the school administration to hold at least four classes under the open sky daily, leaving students vulnerable to hardships,” another local, Muhammad Qayoom said.

He said that locals had knocked on every possible door of the government including political representatives and bureaucrats to get the issue resolved with sanction for a new building but to no avail.

“Work on the construction of a building was also taken up eight years ago but this work was also left midway. There is no ray of hope that work will resume,” Qayoom said.

The students from LoC villages like Niaka, Panjgrian, Chamba, Peryali, Gambhir, Kora Pani, Sharma Basti, Thul Phara, Truta Drara, and Tarkundi bear the brunt of this infrastructure deficit.

“The school’s plight highlights the government’s neglect of educational infrastructure in LoC areas, underscoring the need for immediate attention to address the pressing concerns of the students and teachers alike,” locals said.

They said that they had approached the authorities concerned multiple times with demand for addressing the issue by constructing an additional block but nothing had happened so far.

The school students narrated their plight saying that studying under the open sky was a challenge for them.

“We are badly suffering with this situation,” said Waqar Khan, a student. “All the students of this institution reside in border villages and face multiple challenges in daily life.”

He said that these challenges and hardships increase when they have to study under the open sky in this school, which is the only higher secondary school for the entire LoC belt in the region.

Principal of the school, Muhammad Amin told Greater Kashmir that the problem had been projected before the higher authorities.

He said that the concerned department had assured them that the issue would be addressed soon.

“Our faculty works with dedication and our students work hard and get good results in every examination and co-curricular activities. However, the school lags in infrastructure,” the principal said.