Govt Elementary Smart School running from community hall

A visit to Government Elementary Smart School, located in the narrow, clustered lane of Hindustani Basti in Lohgarh, lays bare the claims of an “education revolution” in the state as advertised by those in power.

Apparently, “Sikhya Kranti” did not reach this particular elementary school as it has been functioning from a “janj ghar” (community hall), with a large hall temporarily partitioned to make room for two separate classes.

Designated a smart school, in the absence of a school building, it has been running from this community hall since 2015, with a student strength of 40 in class Nursery to V. The school has two teachers, but no toilet for students as well as staff. Every time there is a wedding in the locality or a social event, the school’s senior classes declare a holiday.

“Every time a student needs to use toilet, the girl students go to nearby houses and the boys mostly use the park nearby,” said Diljeet Kaur, the head teacher. As for them, it requires a walk to the public toilets of Durgiana temple, which is a few metres away.

“The school was set up in the area in 1972 and used to function from a dharamsala in nearby Gali No. 6. Since 2015, it shifted here. When we were posted here in 2015, it had only a handful of students. We worked hard, visiting nearby homes to get students enrolled,” said Diljeet.

Hindustani Basti is a slum area located near Lohgarh Gate, in close vicinity of the Durgiana temple. The socio-economic and literacy rate among the residents is quite low.

She said despite repeated reminders and letters, the school building was not designated due to the lack of any space in the vicinity. “We wrote to allocate nearby park for our school building, but residents did not agree. Twice, the grants meant for the school for building and development had to be sent back, as no decision was taken on where to construct the building,” said Diljeet.

District Education Officer, Elementary, Kanwaljeet Singh, cited the lack of resident support and delay in assigning space for the school building. “We tried to talk to parents to agree to shift the school to the nearest school building in Hathi Gate, but they do not want that. There is not enough open space around the school to build two to three classrooms and other facility for the school. But we are taking up this matter with urgency,” he said.

Punjab