Kupwara, July 25: Lack of accommodation at Boys High School Magam in Handwara Education Zone is giving a tough time to the students as they take classes in makeshift sheds and tents.
The residents while talking to Greater Kashmir said that this school was upgraded in 2006 and since then it has never been a priority for the concerned authorities.
“The school has only two buildings including one which was constructed before the upgradation of this school and once the school was upgraded to high school, authorities came up with another three-room double-story building. The old building has seven rooms, of them one is being used as an office and another being used by clerks, and the third one is used for laboratory purposes, thus the school has only seven classrooms for over two hundred and fifty students causing immense hardships for them,” they added.
They said that a few years before after the education department started free winter coaching, BHS Magam officials also started the free classes for students. “Steps were taken to provide warmth to students by way of using bukharis in classrooms. The officials built a tin shed to store timber in that, however after the accommodation problem was not resolved, teachers were forced to take classes in the tin shed. “At present 9th A and 9th B are being taught in tin sheds and tents provided by the Magam Army camp,” they said.
A student of the 9th class said that with scorching heat, they were unable to grasp things effectively. “I am unable to figure out why the concerned department has not been able to provide substantial accommodation to us all through these years,” he added.
The lack of accommodation has also left the parents anguished. They said that the matter has been brought to the notice of concerned authorities numerous times but nothing was done with regard to augmenting the accommodation.
They have once again appealed to authorities to take steps for augmentation of accommodations so that the hardships being faced by the students may end. An official at ZEO office Handwara, said that four additional rooms have been sanctioned for BHS Magam. “The Detailed Project Report (DPR) has been forwarded to higher authorities, after administrative approval, tenders will be floated, following which construction will be started,” he added.
