Ludhiana: Space crunch at Jagraon govt school deteriorates
For years, three classrooms in the school have been occupied by Punjab Home Guards, affecting the school’s ability to accommodate its growing number of students
The space crisis at Government Primary Smart School (Basic), Jagraon has spiralled into a concern, leaving students and teachers to battle not only the hot weather, but also the harsh reality of shrinking classrooms. What began as a temporary arrangement has now turned into a years-long ordeal, with no resolution in sight.
For years, three classrooms in the school have been occupied by Punjab Home Guards, affecting the school’s ability to accommodate its growing number of students. While a new classroom was recently constructed, it failed to solve the problem, especially after the Public Works Department (PWD) declared three additional classrooms structurally unsafe more than a month ago.
Now, with only eight usable class rooms for 331 students, the school is bursting at the seams. With one of the rooms being reserved for children with special needs and the school office room being converted into a clasroom, teachers are left with no choice but to teach two different classes in the same room. They often have to teach 30 to 35 students into spaces that were never designed to hold them.
“Managing students has become a daily challenge,” said Rekha, a schoolteacher. “Our rooms aren’t large enough to accommodate 50 students, but we’re still forced to run two sections in one space. Even the new room has been split into two to make things work.”
The issue has drawn repeated attention from concerned citizens and officials alike. In September last year, the then deputy commissioner had directed the district commander of Punjab Home Guards to vacate the school premises within 15 days. However, the order was never enforced, as the home guards claimed they had no alternative location to shift to.
Joginder Azad, a member of the Senior Citizen Forum in Jagraon and a vocal supporter of the school, highlighted the urgency of the situation. “When the rooms were handed over to the home guards, the school had only 169 students. Now, with the student strength nearly doubled, the need for space has become critical. We have approached various officials, including MLA Sarvjit Kaur Manuke and ADC (general) Rohit Gupta, but nothing has changed.”
Responding to the matter, ADC Gupta said, “We have asked the district education officer (DEO) (elementary) to take up the issue with the education secretary.”
DEO Ravinder Kaur acknowledged the delay and said, “We have yet to write the letter. However, the school has applied for a grant to construct new classrooms, which will be approved soon and that will address the space crunch issue.
