For a bright future: Students brace cold to get better results
Govt Girls’ High School Westridge another example of administrative neglect.
RAWALPINDI:
There are no desks so we have to sit on the floor and do our readings.
This is seven-year-old Laiba Rafiq, a student of the Government Girls’ High School Westridge where the fate of 500 students hangs in the balance as they continue their quest to seek knowledge despite the most basic of facilities.
The school administration says they have repeatedly been requesting the relevant authorities to assist them but they are yet to respond.
The school is devoid of clean drinking water, proper classrooms, furniture and electricity. Owing to the dilapidated condition of most of the classrooms, students are forced to sit in the open without mats.
The teaching staff revealed that furniture donated by some people to the school earlier had been stolen. When the desks were later compensated by plastic stools, brought from the school’s funds, they too were stolen. Unidentified thieves have also taken away the water pumping machine.
“The low boundary walls fail to secure the premises and thieves can easily barge into the school,” said the school’s principal Sabahat Ismail. Due to a shortage of rooms, the teachers have made a makeshift veranda of iron sheets.
“In the summer, the iron sheets get very hot making it impossible for students to sit under it, while in the winter is becomes unbearably cold,” said Mehfooz Akhtar, a teacher.
A shortage of space has forced the school administration to divide the students into two groups and accommodate them in two buildings almost a kilometre away from each other.
“We don’t have space to accommodate them in one building,” said the principal. Though the verandas are turned into classrooms they still do not have the capacity to accommodate students.
The principal said expenses of making the verandas into classrooms were met from the school’s private funds and not provided by the education department. She added that she had brought the issue in notice of authorities several times but to no avail.
She further said that a mild rainfall left teachers with no other option but to send the children home.
“Students remain home for days in case of intermittent rain as iron sheets have broken due to rust,” said another teacher who wished not to be named.
The situation gets worse when the temperature plummets in winter. “We have no means to protect the students from the biting cold. The government should either construct rooms or turn these verandas into proper rooms by constructing walls around it,” urged Akhtar.
During summer, there are only two fans for around 200 children accommodated in the second building and students are asked to bring hands fans while coming to school.
Diarrhea, typhoid, malaria and chests diseases are prevalent among the students during summer and winter.
“Though the environment is not conducive to education but the students have managed to outshine academically by performing well at the district level,” the principal claimed.
Despite the lack of facilities, most parents want their children admitted in the school because of their outstanding academic record.
Executive District Officer (education) Qazi Zahoorul Haq could not be reached for his comments despite repeated attempts.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 18th, 2014.
There are no desks so we have to sit on the floor and do our readings.
This is seven-year-old Laiba Rafiq, a student of the Government Girls’ High School Westridge where the fate of 500 students hangs in the balance as they continue their quest to seek knowledge despite the most basic of facilities.
Even mild rainfall leaves teachers with no other option but to send children home. PHOTOS: MUHAMMAD JAVAID/EXPRESS
The school administration says they have repeatedly been requesting the relevant authorities to assist them but they are yet to respond.
The school is devoid of clean drinking water, proper classrooms, furniture and electricity. Owing to the dilapidated condition of most of the classrooms, students are forced to sit in the open without mats.
The teaching staff revealed that furniture donated by some people to the school earlier had been stolen. When the desks were later compensated by plastic stools, brought from the school’s funds, they too were stolen. Unidentified thieves have also taken away the water pumping machine.
Even mild rainfall leaves teachers with no other option but to send children home. PHOTOS: MUHAMMAD JAVAID/EXPRESS
“The low boundary walls fail to secure the premises and thieves can easily barge into the school,” said the school’s principal Sabahat Ismail. Due to a shortage of rooms, the teachers have made a makeshift veranda of iron sheets.
“In the summer, the iron sheets get very hot making it impossible for students to sit under it, while in the winter is becomes unbearably cold,” said Mehfooz Akhtar, a teacher.
A shortage of space has forced the school administration to divide the students into two groups and accommodate them in two buildings almost a kilometre away from each other.
“We don’t have space to accommodate them in one building,” said the principal. Though the verandas are turned into classrooms they still do not have the capacity to accommodate students.
Even mild rainfall leaves teachers with no other option but to send children home. PHOTOS: MUHAMMAD JAVAID/EXPRESS
The principal said expenses of making the verandas into classrooms were met from the school’s private funds and not provided by the education department. She added that she had brought the issue in notice of authorities several times but to no avail.
She further said that a mild rainfall left teachers with no other option but to send the children home.
“Students remain home for days in case of intermittent rain as iron sheets have broken due to rust,” said another teacher who wished not to be named.
The situation gets worse when the temperature plummets in winter. “We have no means to protect the students from the biting cold. The government should either construct rooms or turn these verandas into proper rooms by constructing walls around it,” urged Akhtar.
During summer, there are only two fans for around 200 children accommodated in the second building and students are asked to bring hands fans while coming to school.
Diarrhea, typhoid, malaria and chests diseases are prevalent among the students during summer and winter.
“Though the environment is not conducive to education but the students have managed to outshine academically by performing well at the district level,” the principal claimed.
Despite the lack of facilities, most parents want their children admitted in the school because of their outstanding academic record.
Executive District Officer (education) Qazi Zahoorul Haq could not be reached for his comments despite repeated attempts.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 18th, 2014.