Students forced to study in open ground as Govt Primary School Khatana in Rajouri lacks building
Sumit Bhargav
Rajouri, Feb 19: The students of Government Primary School Khatana Kurhad in Kurhad panchayat of Rajouri are forced to study under open sky as the government has failed to construct a building for the institution.
The condition of the school exposes tall claims of Jammu and Government about reforms in the education sector as seventeen students enrolled in the school lack any facility.
The school has been without building for the last fifteen years and only a kitchen shed has so far been constructed.
People from the area said that Kurhad village falling under Kotranka tehsil of Rajouri is one of the remote villages in the district with majority of the people living here Scheduled Tribes (STs). They also lack basic amenities like good road connectivity or health facilities.
They said that the sad state of affairs of the education sector in the area can be gauged from the condition of Government Primary School Khatana Kurhad which was without building for the last fifteen years when this school was established.
Sarpanch from Kurhad panchayat, Chowdhary Razaq, said that the school is located in ward 8 of panchayat and the government has constructed only one kitchen shed in the school but construction of the building of the school is still awaited.
“ Our children sit under the open sky for studies. There remains an unofficial holiday in school when it rains as it is impossible to hold classes under open sky during rains,” said Sarpanch Chowdhary Razaq.
The Sapranch along with other villagers while decrying such conditions said they had put forth demand for construction of school building before school education department as well as political representatives of the area.
On being contacted Chief Education Officer Rajouri Sultana Kouser said that the school was earlier established as “an EGS center in 2005 and was later converted to primary school in 2008.”
“ Presently seventeen students are studying in the school while two teachers are posted there,” CEO Rajouri said. The officer admitted that the school is without a building.
“The department is going to propose the plan for construction of the school building in AWP 2023-24,” she said.
