Stench in classroom,studying in the open-is all well with your government school?

Schools like Government Model Senior Secondary School (GMSSS),Sector 19,and GMSSS-10 do not have adequate facilities for drinking water. At GMSSS-19,students go to the nearby gurdwara to drink water.

“There are lizards and insects in the tank as it has not been cleaned since a long time. The water is unfit for drinking,” said a student of Class XI.

Another student from the school added: “It’s better to go to the gurdwara and drink water,rather than put our health at risk. The school authorities are aware that we sneak out to drink water during school hours,but no one has bothered to get the tanks cleaned.”

At GMSSS-10,students can be seen filling water bottles from the pipe used to water the school garden.

“At times,our teachers ask us to drink water from the pipe in the lawn,saying it is the only source of clean water,” said a student.

For Government High School (GHS),Daria,Government Senior Secondary School (GSSS) Kaimbwala,GSSS-Maloya,and GMHS-25,poorly-maintained toilets are the biggest worry.

“The stench coming from the toilets is unbearable,” said a GSSS-Kaimbwala student.

When Newsline visited GMSSS-10,19 and 18,it discovered the concept of “open-air” classrooms with students lined up in corridors or under a tree. Reason: the schools do not have power back up facilities.

“As fans do not function,I take my class in the open,” said a teacher at GMSSS-19. A student from GMSSS-10 added: “There is no electricity since morning. Our teacher has asked us to sit in the corridor.”

I am not aware,says DPI (Schools)
“Things are running fine in almost all schools. And the few anomalies that are there will be worked upon. I am not aware of schools facing such problems.

We have,however,sent a notice to the Engineering department to improve the condition of toilets and water tanks,” Samwartak Singh,Director Public Instructions (Schools).