69 students of Pulwama School attend classes in 2 tents
Rising Kashmir was informed by local residents that a primary school was sanctioned in Teadwa Mohalla of Anderwali village on 6 August, 2014.
“The school functioned from two rooms inside a ramshackle house on rental basis for first four years,” a local resident Mohammad Sidiq Khtana said, adding that the owner dismantled it for constructing a new one for his family.
He added that the owner rented out only a single room for the school from his newly constructed small sized house.
“The room is used by teachers for storing furniture and stationary,” he said, adding that the students were provided two tents by authorities of school education department.
“From last three years and nine months the school has been operating from two tents,” another resident of Anderwali, Muneer Ahmad Teadwa, said.
He said that around 65 students are enrolled in this school. He added that the students face immense trouble in attending their classes inside the tents, especially on rainy days.
“When the rain water seeps into tents the students attend their lessons in a standing position,” he told, adding that during heavy rains the class work is suspended.
The residents said that they pleaded before authorities for constructing a building for the school.
“CEO Pulwama and ZEO Shadimarg also visited here and assured us that a building will be constructed for the school but till date it proved a lip service only,” the residents said, adding that around 2 kanals of land have been made available for construction of the school building.
The locals also revealed that the school has two teachers for 65 students which also affect teaching as one of the teachers often has to attend trainings, official meetings and other documentation work. They urged authorities for deputing more teaching staff to the school.
Chief Education officer Pulwama, Nazir Ahmad, said that that government primary school Teadwa Mohalla Anderwali has been established under SSA (Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan) years ago.
“The land identified for the school building suffered landslide,” he said, adding that due to which land was not available there.
He informed that recently land has been identified.
“The office of CEO Pulwama projected the school building last year for 2022-23 plan under Samagra Shiksha scheme which has been approved,” he said, adding that soon the school will be having its own building.
He said that there should be more than three teachers at the school.
“It is unfortunate that the school has only two teachers,” he said, adding that the Shadimarg zone has dearth of teachers.
“I will be taking up this issue with higher authorities,” he said.
