Cowshed in ground floor, school in 1st

One room, six classes

At the time when the education department is talking about modern facilities to be provided in government schools, this primary school reveals all.

“ Govt. Primary School Noosipora Keegam in Shopian is being run on the first floor of a cowshed in a single dilapidated room with 25 students and six classes.” The school has two teachers.

“ We do not think any school may be having such condition”, locals said.

“ The condition of our children is worst and we are sad to see the non- seriousness of the department. This school has nothing good and has no facility except a dark room to keep the children inside.” “ The ladder to the so called school is so steep that the children are always at risk. There is no bathroom, no ground, no urinal, no equipments,” locals said.

“ When the school has a cow shed at its base, how can we expect modern facilities in this school for our wards”. “ We are sending our children to this school because of our poverty, otherwise we would have shifted them to other schools,” they said.

“ We are unable to teach all the students at a time because there is only one room which we have partitioned into two. The room is always jam packed with students. When we teach one class others have to be mum. We are facing immense problems here. The students here have no facilities,” one of the teachers said.

“ There is nothing by which it could be called a school,” he said.

The students said that the school always smells bad and they fear to climb and come down from the ladder.

“ We are always feeling the bad smell of cow dung here in classes. Besides, we are unable to read due to jumbling and darkness. The ladders are very steep and many students are now taken by teachers on shoulders to the class,” a student said.

The locals said that the school is situated of the roadside and the children are always at risk. Pertinently, a student of the school died last year as a vehicle hit him.

Ironically, the Zonal Education Office is situated only one kilometre away from the school but the ZEO concerned never tried to see the situation of the school, locals complained.

When contacted, the Deputy Commissioner Shopian, G M Dar, said, “ I have no knowledge about the school. But I assure you that I shall go to the spot. We shall see what can be done for the school and hopefully the school will be shifted and facilities provided to the children there”.