Nakodar town has no senior secondary school, people disappointed
The successive governments in Punjab have failed to upgrade the high school here to the senior secondary level. After passing out from the high school, the students have no choice but to go to neighbouring village schools to continue their studies.
The successive governments in Punjab have failed to upgrade the high school in Nakodar to the senior secondary level. After passing out from the high school, the students have no choice but to go to neighbouring village schools to continue their studies.
The locals have, repeatedly, urged the education department to upgrade the school but to no avail. They had also sent representation the education minister and the chief minister.
There are more than 16 senior secondary schools in the sub-division, but none at Nakodar – the sub-divisional town where over 40% population depends on government schools.
A local social worker, Aditya Bhatara, said that he had approached the Punjab and Haryana high court for up gradation of the school and the education department had given an undertaking that after the government approved the school up gradation policy, Nakodar high school would be upgraded to the senior secondary level on priority basis.
Bhatara said that the government had approved policy two years ago, but Nakodar school has still not been upgraded.
School headmaster Pardeep Singh said that the school had been running since 1856 and has 209 students. It has twenty sanctioned posts of teachers, out of which eight are lying vacant.
He said the school sent a report to the government in 2015 about students’ strength, posts of teaching and non-teaching staff.
He said that the school has 17 classrooms, computer and science and math laboratories.
He lamented that his son passed his plus two examination from Chak Kalan Government Senior Secondary School. He said nearby villages Burri Pind, Aujla, Maunwal, Meheru and Malwal would benefit after this school was upgraded to the plus two level.
Dr Jogindar Singh Bhanwra , a Shiromani Akali Dal leader, said that the government should upgrade the school at the earliest as locals face problems in getting admissions in village schools that often refuse to admit students from the Nakodar school.
Chetan Gagan, a businessman, said that residents had raised the issue during the 2007 assembly polls, 2009 Lok Sabha polls and 2012 assembly polls and 2014 Lok Sabha polls, but to no avail.
“Local MLA and chief parliamentary secretary Gurpartap Singh Wadala has failed to fulfil his promise.” a resident said.
District education officer (senior secondary) Harindar Singh said that the Nakodar school’s file for up gradation is pending for approval with the government.
Member of legislative Assembly (MLA) GS Wadala was not available for comments. His secretary said that he was busy in distributing grants in villages and will talk when he is free.
We are aware of the problem students and their parents are facing due the lack of a government senior school in Nakodar town. The high school’s file for up gradation is pending for approval with the government.