Chiniot schools: models of decline and decay

At most government schools, students attend classes under the open sky.

FAISALABAD: The majority of government sector schools in Chiniot district lack even the basic facilities including classrooms, boundary walls, electricity, washrooms, potable water and seating arrangements.

Also, no repair work has begun at the buildings of more than 50 schools which have been formally declared dangerous and dilapidated by the provincial education department. The students of these schools have been left with no option but to sit under the open sky in the scorching heat.

The students and their parents feel disturbed and disappointed on such poor condition of school buildings and despite their several complaints and protests, the authorities have taken no action.

On the other hands, the incidences of caving in of classrooms at some of the schools have become common. Recently, the roof of a classroom at Government Primary School for Boys Muza Dassary collapsed. Luckily, it was a recess in the school and no student was hurt. However, the incidence has spread fear and panic among the parents who are now reluctant to send their children to the school following the incidence.

Ismail Ahmad, a three grade student, said he along with other students, was sitting in the playground of the school when the roof of their classroom caved in.

“We were terrified on the incident and now we feel insecure in classrooms,” he added.

“Nowadays, our class is being held in the open despite the hot weather. Our teachers are also afraid that someday the whole structure will collapse,” he said.

He was of the view that although the school building was in an extremely dangerous condition, the school management and the authorities were just silent spectators instead of taking steps for rebuilding the school structure.

“My parents are not allowing me to attend this school due to the roof collapse incident but I don’t want give up my studies and want to attend the school,” another student of grade 4 said.



Earlier, during 2015-016 academic year, the plaster of a classroom ceiling came down at Government High School, Sargodha Road. Two students were injured in the incident. The building of this school which comprises of almost 30 classrooms was established in 1956. The school accommodates more than 1,500 students. The condition of at least 15 classrooms is dangerous and would collapse at any time. But the education authorities have not taken any notice of it so far.

Punjab Teachers Union District Chiniot President Mehr Ijaz said the Punjab government has made only tall claims of providing quality education. He said a number of teachers’ body representations were sent to the education authorities with a request to repair the dilapidated buildings and the provision of basic facilities at schools but no to no avail.

Education Authority CEO Liaquat Hussain said almost 70% of school buildings in the province were dilapidated and the Punjab government has evolved a comprehensive plan to upgrade and rehabilitee these buildings in different phases.

Commenting on the incident of roof collapse at Government Primary School for Boys Muza Dassary, he said the building of the school was old and after the collapse of the classroom, the school management has been directed not to use any of the classrooms till the new structure of all the classes was built.

He was of the view that it was primarily the duty of education authority with the coordination of building department to keep a check on the maintenance of school buildings. He also claimed that a survey was being conducted to access the conditions and missing facilities at government schools in the province.

He said last year the building department declared 47 buildings in extremely dangerous conditions and at the verge of collapse.

“On the basis of this report, we have intimidated the provincial education headquarter at Lahore and we have received the requisite fund for building new structure. There are more than two dozen school buildings which are now under the process of reconstruction while the work on the rest of the schools will commence shortly,” he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 10^th, 2017.