At SSA training centres, no benches for students, often no shelter

But the condition of these centres depict the sheer apathy of the UT Education Department.

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As per the guidelines, these centres should be within the regular school premises to create aspirations of mainstreaming children, and there should be provision of computer-aided knowledge, co-curricular activities, games and sports activities and excursion trips.

Besides this, there should be a condensed course and teachers should prepare attendance incentives.

However, the special training centres provide none of these. Also, there are no dedicated rooms for teaching and children are made to sit in open areas sometimes, and the boundary walls of schools are used as blackboard.

At Government High School in Hallomajra, where one of three buildings is used as a training centre, around 25 children have to adjust in a room and sit on the floor. Similarly, at Government High School in Maloya Colony, the classes are held on the school verandah.

Classes are also held at the government high schools in Buterla, Khuda Lahora, Dhanas, Manimajra, Sarangpur, sectors 38 (W), 44, 46, 23 and 26, Maulijagran, Behlana, Colony Number 4, Karsan, Dadumajra, Raipur Khurd and Khuda Alisher, among others. The teachers at these centres conduct four-hour classes daily.

The trainers at the centre, on the condition of anonymity, said, “As per the guidelines, children should not be made to feel that they are not a part of school but when we are conducting their classes separately, away from the regular school buildings, how should we convince the parents that they will be mainstreamed to the regular schools?”

“Some children often ask us that why are they not made to sit on floors and not made to sit on benches like in other schools. We do not have any answers to their questions,” said another trainer.

Director Public Instructions (Schools) Kamlesh Kumar said, “We are working on improving the infrastructure in these schools, especially that of schools in the periphery areas.”