Pahalgam: The dilapidated condition of Boys Higher Secondary School (BHSS) Sallar pooh-poohs the government’s tall claim of giving priority to the Education sector in the Jammu and Kashmir.
 Upgraded as Higher Secondary institution during the People’s Democratic Party regime in 2006, the school continues to function in the same old damaged building constructed at the time of its establishment as Middle School in 1947.
 Both the students and the staff rue the poor infrastructure including lack of space for holding classes. “Even six years after the upgradation of the school, the infrastructure of the institution remains to be the same as that of the Middle School,” said a staffer on the condition of anonymity.
 He said, lack of space badly tells upon the education of the students enrolled in the school. “For at least 300 students enrolled in the institution in different wings; Middle, Secondary and Higher Secondary only four lecture rooms are available. Most of the times students have to attend the classes in open,” he said, adding that sometimes classes had to be cancelled due to inclement weather conditions.
 Another teacher posted in the school said the institution seems to have been upgraded on papers only. “It is an irony that after the upgradation of the school, no additional building was sanctioned for it. Due to the lack of space in the school many parents after seeing their children attending classes on the dust in school premises get them admitted in other educational institutions,” he said.
 The school has no fencing due to which a portion of its ground is being used as a garbage dump by the people living adjacent.
 “Though teachers posted in the school some couple of years ago donated a part of their salary and fenced one side of the ground but other two sides continue to be open. The people living adjacent throw all the waste into the school premises. Even the sweeper has to remove the heaps of the waste from a portion of the school ground,” said a teacher.
 The institution has just a single permanent lecturer for Higher Secondary wing.
 “Though all the streams Science, Social Science, Arts and non-medical are being taught in the institution at the HS level, but only for one subject, a permanent lecturer is available while the rest is managed by the contractual staff,” said another staffer. Students also complain of the non-availability of the library in the institution.
 “Though some books are there, but they have been kept by the school administration in a locker,” said a class 12th student.

Lastupdate on : Thu, 22 Dec 2011 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Thu, 22 Dec 2011 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Fri, 23 Dec 2011 00:00:00 IST