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Ludhiana: Exams worsen space crunch at Jagraon govt school
The home guards were ordered to vacate the rooms in December last year but are yet to do so in search of an alternative location to run their office
The Punjab State Education Board (PSEB) Class 5 board examinations have worsened the space crunch at the Government Primary Smart School (Basic) in Jagraon, which was already grappling with the issue as three rooms were occupied by the home guard volunteer force since 2018.
The school has 11 rooms, three of which are used by home guards and one by labourers undertaking construction work.
With the school assigned as an examination centre for 48 students, teachers say they are having a difficult time accommodating regular classes and examinees in the remaining seven rooms.
“We even had to convert our office into a classroom. We got a grant for another room and the construction work is underway. The labourers have occupied one of the rooms,” said Rekha, a teacher at the school, adding that one room is reserved for students with special needs and accommodating classes has become a ‘daily challenge’ for them.
The home guards were ordered to vacate the rooms in December last year but are yet to do so in search of an alternative location to run their office.
Jagraon sub-divisional magistrate (SDM) Karandeep Singh said efforts were being made to relocate the home guards. “We did identify a vacant traffic police control room (PCR) building in Ludhiana Rural, but the department concerned rejected the proposal. We are looking for another location. The new tehsildar will assume charge on Monday, and we hope the issue will be resolved at the earliest,” he said.
The PSEB exam guidelines say only one student can sit on a desk, which means that the school will need at least two rooms, if not more, for the examinees, leaving them with five rooms for running classes from Nursery to Class 4.
