Punjab: A visit to the government primary smart school located in the narrow lane of Hindustani Basti in Lohgarh exposes the claims of “education revolution” in the state by those in power. Apparently, the “education revolution” has not reached this particular primary school, as it is running in a “janj ghar” (community hall) in which a large hall has been temporarily divided to make space for two separate classrooms. Named as a smart school in the absence of a school building, it has been running in this community hall since 2015, with 40 students from nursery to class V. The school has two teachers, but there is no toilet for the students and staff. Whenever there is a wedding or any social event in the locality, the senior classes of the school declare a holiday. Principal Diljeet Kaur said, “Whenever a student needs to use the toilet, the girl students go to nearby houses and the boys mostly use the nearby park.” As far as they are concerned, they have to walk to the public toilet at Durgiana Mandir, which is a few metres away.
“The school was established in this area in 1972 and operated in a nearby dharamshala on Gali No. 6. It has been shifted here since 2015. When we were posted here in 2015, there were only a few students here. We worked hard, visiting nearby houses and getting students enrolled,” Diljeet said. Hindustani Basti is a slum located near Lohgarh Gate, close to Durgiana Mandir. The socio-economic and literacy rates among the residents are quite low. He said that despite repeated reminders and letters, the school building was not designated due to lack of space nearby. “We wrote to allot a nearby park for our school building, but the residents did not agree. Twice, the grants given for the construction and development of the school had to be sent back, as no decision was taken on where to build the building,” Diljit said. District education officer, primary, Kanwaljit Singh cited lack of support from residents and delay in allocating space for the school building. “We tried to talk to the parents to agree to shift the school to the nearest school building at Hathi Gate, but they do not want it. There is not enough open space around the school to build two to three classrooms and other facilities for the school. But we are taking up the matter with urgency,” he said.
