Practicals in labs hit: Teachers complain of lack of space, attendants

In the government high schools of Daria, Raipur Kalan, Khuda Jassu, Khuda Lahora, Karsan, Colony No. 4, Behlana, Dhanas, Sector 38 (W), Manimajra Model Town, Government High School, Sector 26(TM), Vikas Nagar, Maloya Colony and Mauli Jagran, store rooms without proper lighting are being used as science labs, while in some, the classrooms have been divided into half by a tin shade to accommodate lab equipment.

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According to the CBSE guidelines, the minimum size of the lab should be 9m x 6m each (approximatley 600 sqft) and fully equipped.

In one such school, various models and projects of physics, chemistry and biology are displayed in a room apart from a miniature model of a human skeleton for the students, but the same room is also being used as a music room and a staff room. The teachers also call it a common room.

Owing to lack of space for laboratories and no lab attendants to take care of the equipment, there is no lab period in the students time table. Instead, there is a period of work experience and activities.

A science teacher of Government High School, Colony No. 4 said, “Three years ago, I was in an Army school where we used to have a lab period twice a week. Students would practice practicals then. However, the situation is different here. I am the only science teacher for 270 students in Class IX and 180 in Class X. I cannot even bring a single section to this room for the practicals because it can only accommodate five persons at a time.”

She also added that though she manages to give a demo of some physics and biology practicals, it is impossible to perform the chemistry practicals that requires mixing of acids. “To use acids, we need to have a separate sink and sewerage system. Since we do not have it, we cannot perform chemistry practicals here.”

Science teachers, however, do not complain of lack of equipment since each school gets a grant and lab equipment annually under the Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan. They, however, complain of lack of space for labs, lab attendants for the maintenance of equipment, requisite number of teachers for medical and non-medical and over-crowed classrooms.

Some schools like Government Model Senior Secondary School (GMSSS), Sector 16, GMSSS-19, GMSSS-34, GMSSS-35, GMSSS-37, GMSSS-21 have proper lab facilities. But in these schools also, there are no lab attendants and the teachers are responsible for the upkeep of the equipment.

A science teacher of Government High School, Daria, said, “We have all the required equipment for the science subjects, but space is a major concern. We cannot bring the students in the room where the equipment are locked. Once in a while we take the equipment to the class, but we are always worried that the students will damage the equipment.”

A student of Government School, Maloya Colony, said, “Few students have seen the science lab. We do not have any practical periods, but we are still asked to maintain our lab notebook.”

DPI (schools) Kamlesh Kumar said, “Not having adequate space for labs is not an excuse to not hold practicals. The schools can bring the lab to the classrooms. A temporary table can be arranged with the equipment on it. The schools can also buy CDs of practicals to show on projectors or computer screens.”