Broken roofs, stinking washrooms, garbage filled courtyards: Kupwara schools present dismal look
- 3 years ago
Newscraving Desk
Kupwara
The courtyard of government middle school Braripora in northern Kashmir area of Handwara remains filled with garbage. Its stained washrooms produce a stinking smell. Another school in the area has a broken roof. That is what the schools in Kupwara district mostly look like though the authorities reeled out statistics recently to claim that the district fared better than rest of Kashmir on enrollment of students in educational institutions.
The condition of the schools remains poor even as the authorities have recently issued orders asking the teachers to remain geared up for the opening of schools from March. Education in Kashmir took a massive hit as the schools remained closed after the revocation of Article 370 and during the current COVID pandemic.
In Kupwara, education department recently released numbers stating that the district topped the entire Union Territory UT of Jammu & Kashmir by enrolling 27,000 students in different government schools. On ground however these schools lack infrastructure that has been hitting education. Part of the education department claim is however that recent enrollments in government schools include 2,500 students from private schools as well.
The schools across the district lack of drinking water facilities, playgrounds and walled courtyards. Many have stinking washrooms, broken windows and doors that has affected the education of children.
The Upper Primary School Braripora, which comes within the jurisdiction of Municipal Committee Handwara, has recently increased enrollment to 64 students from 17, but a visit to the school revealed its sorry state of affairs. The school has broken windows and doors.
Ghulam Ahmad War, a local resident, said that the condition of the Braripora primary school building has been brought to the notice of authorities but they have not acted on it.
“ The enrollment has increased, but I doubt whether the students can be retained given the poor infrastructure," said War. " This is the story of almost every government school here and that is why parents prefer private educational institutions over government run schools," he added.
Chief Education Officer (CEO) Kupwara, Abdul Hamid Fani, however said that it is "collective responsibility of teachers and local people to take measures for protection of school buildings across the district." He said that the authorities would take steps to improve condition of schools.
Kupwara
The courtyard of government middle school Braripora in northern Kashmir area of Handwara remains filled with garbage. Its stained washrooms produce a stinking smell. Another school in the area has a broken roof. That is what the schools in Kupwara district mostly look like though the authorities reeled out statistics recently to claim that the district fared better than rest of Kashmir on enrollment of students in educational institutions.
The condition of the schools remains poor even as the authorities have recently issued orders asking the teachers to remain geared up for the opening of schools from March. Education in Kashmir took a massive hit as the schools remained closed after the revocation of Article 370 and during the current COVID pandemic.
In Kupwara, education department recently released numbers stating that the district topped the entire Union Territory UT of Jammu & Kashmir by enrolling 27,000 students in different government schools. On ground however these schools lack infrastructure that has been hitting education. Part of the education department claim is however that recent enrollments in government schools include 2,500 students from private schools as well.
The schools across the district lack of drinking water facilities, playgrounds and walled courtyards. Many have stinking washrooms, broken windows and doors that has affected the education of children.
The Upper Primary School Braripora, which comes within the jurisdiction of Municipal Committee Handwara, has recently increased enrollment to 64 students from 17, but a visit to the school revealed its sorry state of affairs. The school has broken windows and doors.
Ghulam Ahmad War, a local resident, said that the condition of the Braripora primary school building has been brought to the notice of authorities but they have not acted on it.
“ The enrollment has increased, but I doubt whether the students can be retained given the poor infrastructure," said War. " This is the story of almost every government school here and that is why parents prefer private educational institutions over government run schools," he added.
Chief Education Officer (CEO) Kupwara, Abdul Hamid Fani, however said that it is "collective responsibility of teachers and local people to take measures for protection of school buildings across the district." He said that the authorities would take steps to improve condition of schools.