Govt schools in Punjab to reopen for students today, except some worst-hit by floods

However, the teachers and staff visited government schools Monday to check safety of buildings and get them cleaned post floods as per the orders of education minister Harjot Singh Bains. The government schools will be open for students from Tuesday and classes will be held as usual.

Around 30 schools in Fazilka district and 36 in Ferozepur district are still inundated, with water either flooding the campus or logging outside schools, making them inaccessible. They will remain closed for students till further notice as per the orders of local deputy commissioners.
All schools in Ajnala and Lopoke divisions of Amritsar district will remain closed till September 12, following the district administration’s latest order.

As many as 61 schools in Gurdaspur district, 29 in Pathankot district and around 50 in Sangrur district will also remain closed in accordance with their DCs’ latest orders.

Sangrur Deputy Commissioner Rahul Chaba said, “Of nearly 50 schools, 24 will remain closed due to structural damage, and the remaining due to high water level in the Ghaggar river.”

The private schools have also been instructed to first ensure the safety of their buildings and then call students.

Punjab Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains, meanwhile, launched a statewide campaign, “Let’s Clean Our Village Schools”, at Government Senior Secondary School in Ropar’s Sarsa Nangal, and appealed to all citizens to actively support the initiative.

Bains said the flood forced around 20,000 government schools in Punjab to shut for several days.

“Government schools opened on Monday for cleaning and restoration. Students will return to their classes on September 9. To ensure safe and clean learning spaces, a special cleanliness drive has been initiated in all government schools,” the minister said.

Bains urged MLAs, panchayats, sarpanchs, youth clubs, school management committee members and volunteers to extend full cooperation in this campaign.

The minister, however, emphasised, “After remaining shut for days, some schools require urgent cleaning and maintenance. Issues such as waterlogging, safe drinking water, and waste disposal must be resolved immediately. If a school building appears unsafe, it should be reported without any delay to the Deputy Commissioner, SDM, or the engineering wing of the district administration, as the safety of teachers and students is the government’s top priority.”

The minister said DCs concerned would decide whether schools in their districts are fit to open for students.

Satinder Singh, Deputy District Education Officer, Ferozepur, one of the worst-hit districts, said, “None of the schools in the district witnessed a big loss such as a building collapse. Still, we are checking all campuses thoroughly before calling students.”

According to a teacher from the border district of Fazilka, several school campuses have still been flooded up to 2-3 feet of water.

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