Infra devp a far cry for 27 govt schools running on pvt land in Ludhiana

27 government schools in the district, situated on privately owned land, struggle with infrastructure development, leading to overcrowded classrooms and discomfort for both students and teachers.

With 27 government-run schools in the district running on privately owned land, the infrastructure development of these schools is taking a hit. The result: These schools lack adequate space to accommodate students even as the government keeps increasing enrolment targets ever year, teachers complain.

Government Primary Smart School in Kundanpuri, Ludhiana. (HT Photo)

A teacher of one such primary smart school, requesting anonymity, said, “We have to keep registering students even if we have no more space available to accommodate them so as to meet the target given by the department. If the target is not achieved, the staff have to face the repercussions.”

Another teacher revealed that they end up seating around 85-90 students in each classrooms due to space constraints. “The classrooms become stuffy during summers and monsoons, due to which we find it difficult to even breathe. Even students complain of discomfort but we are unable to do anything,” she said.

The head of a primary school said that the government is not keen on investing anymore in these schools as they don’t own the land. “Our school is in a deplorable state but we don’t get any grants for infrastructure development. We need extra rooms to accommodate new students but that seems unlikely due to lack of funds,” said the school head.