Schools of missing things: From toys, fans to LED screens, thieves strip Punjab’s government schools bare

Government schools, especially primary schools, across Punjab — from the border districts of Ferozepur and Fazilka to the centrally located Ludhiana, Moga and even Hoshiarpur in Doaba belt — have been suffering from a spate of brazen thefts. According to data compiled by the Ferozepur District Education Office (DEO), 123 incidents of thefts have been reported by the district’s government schools over the past 1.5 years.

Teachers say the burglaries have exacerbated over the past four years since government schools were turned into “smart schools”, thanks to the previous Congress government and donations from the local community. All smart schools were equipped with projectors, LED screens, CCTV cameras, desktops, listening labs, etc. The upgrades, the teachers add, did not extend to safety measures. Damaged or missing boundary walls and the lack of security guards make these schools ripe for the picking, especially by local drug addicts, they say.

The Government Primary School Rukna Mungla, Ferozepur district, has been targeted by burglars at least nine times and the recent thefts have practically stripped the school bare. Fans and utensils from the school have been sent to the sarpanch’s house for safekeeping till the school reopens after summer break. (Express photo)

‘Everything stolen’

“From toys (from the pre-primary area), teddy bears, gas cylinders and mid-day meal rations (besan, pulses, rajma, cooking oil), to the swivel chair in the principal’s office, three CCTV cameras, amplifiers, desktops and even floor mats — everything has been stolen. There’s hardly anything left in the school now, save for one projector. I got the locks replaced in all seven rooms here, spending around Rs 5,000 from my pocket after each theft. Our school has been targeted by thieves at least nine times. While the previous attempts were relatively minor, the recent ones nearly stripped the school bare,” added Surinder, who joined the school almost seven years ago.

After the third theft in the month of May, an exasperated Surinder simply pasted a note in Punjabi on the main gate: “Hatth jod ke benti hai ki tussi school da saara samaan chori kar leya hai… Kirpa karke hun taaley na todey jaan, chor ji (We make this request with folded hands. You have already stolen everything that was inside the school. Please don’t break our locks again, Mr Thief).”

The Government Primary School at Fazilka district’s Kala Tibba lost three CPUs, two LEDs screens, CCTV DVRs, headphones, coins totalling Rs 700 and even official records of mid-day meals in a burglary on December 25. (Express photo)

Ensuring the security of government schools remains a challenge for the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government, which promised to “revolutionise” education in Punjab. A proposal passed by the Cabinet in January to hire security guards for these schools remains a reality only on paper. Though the teachers get FIRs registered at local police stations, most can’t recall a case being solved by the police recently.

At Government Primary School in Fazilka district’s Kala Tibba, thieves broke into the school on December 25. They stole three CPUs, two LEDs screens, CCTV DVRs, headphones, coins totalling Rs 700 and even official records of mid-day meals. School incharge Sajjan Kumar said, “We got an FIR registered but have not received any update on the probe so far.”

A teacher added, “Gadgets or equipment brought using government funds are usually never replaced after these thefts. Most equipment is not insured. Even if it is, it is a cumbersome process to get a replacement from the state education department. Teachers simply replace it with their own money or ask for donations.”

The teachers in Garhshankar block of Hoshiarpur district submitted a letter to the local SSP after nine schools were robbed within days of each other in April.

“CCTVs, LEDs screens, gas cylinders, inverter batteries and even wheat and rice meant for mid-day meals — everything was stolen. Even if an FIR is registered, there’s no arrest or recovery of stolen goods. We submitted an application to the SSP to take these school thefts seriously. How long can teachers keep paying for these losses?” said Mukesh Kumar, the general secretary of the Democratic Teachers’ Front (DTF), Hoshiarpur.

The list of items stolen by thieves from the Government Primary School Rukna Mungla, Ferozepur district includes toys, teddy bears, gas cylinders, besan, pulses, rajma, cooking oil, the swivel chair in the principal’s office, three CCTV cameras, amplifiers, desktops and floor mats. (Express photo)

Geetanjali, the school incharge at Government Primary School in Hoshiarpur’s Mohanwal village, said thieves targeted their school in April and fled with 70 kg of rice and inverter batteries.

Vasudha Goswami, the school incharge at Government Primary School in Hoshiarpur’s Gogan village, said their school lost all equipment, including LED screens, smart TVs, DVRs, etc., in a theft on May 24. “There was a burglary attempt earlier too but the thieves failed to break the locks,” she said.

Mohinder Korianwala, a teacher from Fazilka, added, “Till some years ago, thieves would only take away gas cylinders, iron rods, benches, taps and food grains. Their focus has shifted to electronic equipment in schools now. This problem is perennial in the border districts due to drug addiction among the youth, who resort to petty thefts.”

State Health Minister Balbir Singh had informed the Vidhan Sabha in March, “There 2.62 lakh addicts in government-run centres and 6.12 lakh addicts in privately run centres…”

Stating that the police “can’t be omnipresent”, Ferozepur SSP Bhupinder Singh Sidhu said, “The police conduct regular patrols but government schools are located in far-flung villages and don’t have guards or any security arrangements. Most youths who steal things from schools do it for easy money and, in some cases, for drugs.”

Stating that the police had solved some cases, he added, “We have managed to solve theft cases connected to 14 schools and five accused were arrested in May. We have recovered eighteen LED screens, fourteen DVRs, five projectors, three inverters and several other things from them.”

Surinder Kaur, who is incharge at the Government Primary School in Ferozepur’s Rukna Mungla, said she spent Rs 5,000 from her own pocket to get the locks replaced in all seven rooms of the building after each theft. (Express photo)

No security guards

While the state education department does not have data on thefts reported by government schools, the figure compiled by the Ferozepur DEO paints an alarming picture. According to data by Ferozepur DEO, among other things, thieves did not even spare podiums, submersible water pumps, water coolers, sugar, taps, electricity meters, cordless microphones, solar panels, plates, spoons, cooking stoves, cookers, swings, harmoniums, fire extinguishers, ladders, library books, sports kits, blankets, mattresses, electrical fittings, wiring, water bottles, attendance registers and stationery. The data also includes remarks by teachers, which say that schools will continue to remain vulnerable without a boundary wall or security guards.

Of 836 government schools in Ferozepur district, only 14 have watchmen. According to data accessed by The Indian Express, only 30 of 2,042 government senior secondary schools in Punjab currently have night security. While there is no post for guards in primary schools, the spots lying vacant in upper primary schools are yet to be filled.

A note prepared by the education department states, “There is a severe shortfall of personnel for watchmen/chowkidars — in government schools and regular recruitments have not been made. At present, 31 chowkidars-cum-sweepers are working in 30 government senior secondary schools … of a total of 2,042 government senior secondary schools…”

After the third theft within May, Surinder Kaur, the incharge at the Government Primary School in Ferozepur’s Rukna Mungla, put a note in Punjabi on the main gate: “Hatth jod ke benti hai ki tussi school da saara samaan chori kar leya hai… Kirpa karke hun taaley na todey jaan, chor ji (We make this request with folded hands. You have already stolen everything that was inside the school. Please don’t break our locks again, Mr Thief)”. (Express photo)

According to the Punjab Education Department’s Information and Communication Technology (ICT) wing, which only keeps a record of gadgets and IT equipment stolen from schools, 44 incidents of theft were reported by schools from January 2022 to March 2023. Of these, a majority happened in Ferozepur, Fazilka and Ludhiana districts and in most cases, the thieves took away LEDs screens, inverter batteries and computers.

An official added that since most stolen equipment was uninsured, it has not been replaced.

The AAP government had last September proposed providing Rs 33.07 crore to school management committees (SMCs) to hire security guards for daytime (in schools with over 500 students) and watchmen for night hours in all senior secondary schools. It suggested hiring daytime guards for 652 senior secondary schools and 37 high schools at a salary of Rs 19,787 each per month, and watchmen for night hours at all senior secondary schools at a salary of Rs 5,000 per month. The total budget for this was estimated at Rs 12.07 crore. However, there was no provision for watchmen for primary schools, where most thefts are happening. Though the proposal was approved by the Cabinet in January, it hasn’t been implemented yet.

Seema Jain, the Additional Chief Secretary, Punjab School Education, said, “The department does not have consolidated data of thefts across the state’s government schools. Some districts have collected it at their own level. The department is aware of the problem and is in the process of implementing the Cabinet’s proposal (to hire security guards). We are planning to hire ex-servicemen for the job via the Punjab Ex-Servicemen Corporation (PESCO).”

She added, “The stolen equipment under warranty will be replaced but it will take time. We are trying to accelerate the process.”

Ahead of the reopening of schools in July, Surinder added optimistically, “When our schools were just ‘schools’ and not ‘smart’, we taught students using books and blackboards. We will do the same once the school reopens. The schools became ‘smart’ only 3-4 years ago but we have teaching experiences of over 20 years. Computers or not, the children won’t suffer.”