Unprecedented heatwave exposes dearth of infrastructure in schools across UT

Srinagar, Jun 12: The advisory issued by the Jammu and Kashmir School Education Department (SED) in view of the prevailing heatwave has brought to the fore the glaring infrastructural gaps in schools across the J&K Union Territory.Amid the prevailing heat wave, the SED in its advisory issued on Thursday advised the students to avoid assembling in the school premises during the afternoon hours. SED in its advisory asked the schools to ensure that the furniture and the playground equipment are not too hot.

The schools were also asked to monitor indoor temperature of class rooms as well. As per advisory, the SED asked the school heads to make students comfortable in classrooms.

However, the advisory issued by the SED has raised concerns about the school children enrolled in schools facing accommodation crunch wherein students of more than one class are either crammed in a single room or the students attend their classes under the open sky.

In most of the schools, the teachers accommodate school children of more than one class in a single room, due to the dearth of proper classrooms. Earlier, the SED advised the school teachers to ensure that adequate availability of drinking water is put in place while students are allowed water breaks during school hours.

However a school teacher said that several schools in towns and rural areas were facing a dearth of adequate classrooms following which the students are either forced to attend their classes in congested rooms or attend classes under the open sky. “Attending classes outside exposes children to excessive heat, making them more vulnerable to heat waves. In some schools walls of classrooms are made of tin sheds which tend to be particularly hot. Additionally, many schools lack proper drinking water facilities as well,” the school teacher said.

Over the years, government schools, particularly the primary and upper-primary schools have been facing an acute shortage of accommodation which deprives the students of the basic facility of a classroom in school. Besides the dearth of classrooms, the students are ferried in vans which run on LPG. The students are seen congested, crammed haphazardly, raising concern on the safety of the students. Amid the prevailing heat wave, the minister for education earlier said the department was watching the situation and if need arises, summer vacations will be announced for the schools. However, the stakeholders do not buy the argument of announcing summer vacations saying that closure of schools cannot be the only option. "Summer vacation is not a solution. No doubt we are facing scorching heat but we have to accommodate by adopting proper precautions," said Hatim Qayoom, a school teacher from Ganderbal. He said the government can minimise the working hours to ensure the safety of students. "For the time being, we can completely close extracurricular activities in schools and focus on class work and reduce the duration of periods for some time," he said. He said the Valley can witness more heat waves in coming months.

The stakeholders further castigated the education department for issuing advisory while leaving schools infrastructure deficient.

"The department has asked kids to avoid the sun between 11am to 4pm but schools close at 2:30 and 3pm. The students go home after 3pm amid peak heat hours. Kids are seen walking home in 32°C temperature with heavy bags and no shade," said Faraz Ashraf, one of the parents from Baramulla.

He said the advisory to monitor classroom temperatures was absolutely weird as the government schools do not have proper ventilation, not to talk of fans and ACs. "No school has AC facilities and climate control in classrooms. Most classrooms don’t even have ceiling fans that work," he said. He said that these guidelines have been cooked up in offices far away from the ground realities. "The guidelines reflect zero administrative sense. It seems the department has no clue about infrastructure gaps, and is still issuing sermons like we live in Finland," he said. Minister for education Sakina Itoo earlier told Greater Kashmir that the department was working to fill the infrastructural gaps and ensure that students are provided better facilities in schools. "Everything cannot be done overnight. But we have started the process," she earlier told Greater Kashmir.