Himachal floods aftermath: Teachers, students roll up sleeves to resume classes as admin has work cut out

With his sleeves rolled up, pants pulled up to knees and hands smeared in mud, it’s easy to mistake him for a labourer busy restoring the school premises after the horrific floods of August 23 that washed away Govt Primary School Kuklah in Mandi district of Himachal Pradesh. But this man with a shovel in hand is a Junior Basic Training (JBT), who was almost in tears when describing the deluge that washed away the school building, ground, records, furniture and other school infrastructure. The beautiful school premises, which used to buzz with schoolchildren, has now turned into a mountain of debris.

Kuklah school is one of the hundreds of such schools that have been wiped out in the massive rain and floods in the last two months in Himachal Pradesh. After the three spells of heavy rain in July and August this year, more than 20 schools are reported to have been destroyed in Mandi alone. Most of the school premises across Mandi, Kullu and Shimla are still under rubble, filled with sludge and silt, and covered with huge stones, crying for the administration’s attention.

Current scenario of the school. (Express Photo)

“I was at home that morning and could not reach the spot immediately, but children and parents who live nearby called me up and informed me about the disaster at school. They cried uncontrollably while describing the scene. Children had been in a state of shock after seeing the school reduced to rubble. I had talked to each of them individually and assured them we would make another beautiful school and get back on our feet again,” says Duni Chand who has been working tirelessly to shift the remains of the school infrastructure to a nearby temple with the help of local residents.

Shaheed Indra Jeet Singh Govt Middle School at Tawarafi in Mandi too was badly affected in the monsoon fury. It was among the few government schools equipped with smart classes that had won laurels for academic excellence and co-curricular activities.

Speaking to The Indian Express, school in-charge Rakesh Kaushal said the cloudburst on August 12 caused massive flooding and washed away the headmaster’s room which was full of computers, records, smart classes equipment, shields and awards the school had won, furniture and other important school documents. “The flooding occurred early in the morning around 4. The ground floor of the school building was full of silt; rooms were filled with sludge; uprooted trees and stones which came down rolled and ruined the school ground and walls. Thankfully it did not occur during school hours,” he said.

Speaking to The Indian Express, teacher Duni Chand of Kuklah school said, “We are not in a position to restore the school building, but with help from local residents we are toiling hard to resume classes in a nearby temple. Since the tragedy, no classes could be held at the school due to lack of an alternative arrangement and even online was not an option due to electricity disruption and network issues.”

The administration had issued prior warnings of excessive rain and announced the closure of schools. (Express Photo)

Nivedita Negi, Additional District Collector, Mandi, told The Indian Express, “As per the numbers available with us, as of now five senior secondary school premises and 13 middle and primary school buildings have been damaged in the district. Most schools are 70% damaged, and we are looking for alternative arrangements or rented property for restoring classes. Online classes are running where there is uninterrupted network connectivity. The district administration is making every arrangement to resume regular physical classes.”

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With no help from anywhere in clearing and cleaning the school premises, Physical Education Teacher (PET) Khem Chand led from the front and cleared the classrooms that was filled with around 8-foot-high silt and sludge. While speaking to The Indian Express, he showed videos of how schoolteachers and students cleaned the classrooms on a war footing. “Our students were on a mission to clean the space and so were the teachers and staff. We in small villages have a sacred feeling for our schools and it manifested when we all put our shoulders to the wheel in the restoration work. We understand the administration has its work cut out and its priorities are to provide help to those who need it most in this horrific tragedy, so we could not wait for help and did it on our own,” he said.

The administration had issued prior warnings of excessive rain and announced the closure of schools, and so no casualties were reported from these educational centres. But how could the schools ride out the rain fury?

Kuklah school is one of the hundreds of such schools that have been wiped out in the massive rain and floods in the last two months in Himachal Pradesh. (Express Photo)

Balak Ram, senior journalist and resident of Pandoh in Mandi district, while speaking to The Indian Express, said, “Most of our schools, colleges, hospitals, community centres and other public utilities are constructed on the banks of rivers and catchment areas. The reason is – the allotment of forest department land to such institutions. Our governments have been ignoring the safety of these children for ages now. The government must ensure no such institutions are built near rivers or nallahs. Had the flash floods hit during daytime, there would have been a huge death toll.”

Another policy issue these government schools face is the ownership of land. Tawarafi school in-charge Rakesh Kaushal said, “As the schools are constructed on forest land and school property is still under the forest department, we have to seek the department’s permission for every single work we do which is an uphill task and the files take a lot of time to get cleared.”