TAXILA: Despite claims from the government about increasing the enrolment of children in primary schools, 31 such institutions in Taxila are lacking basic necessities – such as electricity, furniture and drinking water – that are required to keep children in school.

Dawn has found that 12 girls’ schools lack classrooms, while eight other schools are operating in dangerous buildings. Two schools do not have adequate boundary walls, and another has no facility for drinking water.

The situation at the remaining eight boys’ schools is similarly disheartening. Three schools have no furniture, two lack classrooms, two have no electricity and one does not have a building at all.

Three out of the eight classrooms in the Government Girls Elementary School (GGES) in Khurram Gujjar, where 194 children are enrolled, are dangerous, as are two out of the seven classrooms in the GGES in Gangoo Jumma where 290 students are enrolled.

23 girls schools and eight boys schools lack classrooms, utilities

The Government Girls Primary School (GGPS) in Salargarh, which has 106 students, has just two classrooms – both of which are dangerous. The GGPS in Dhoke Malrian, where 98 children are enrolled, has three classrooms of which two are dangerous.

Two of the five classrooms at the GGPS Kohlian, where 171 children study, are dangerous, as is the case with the GGPS Dhoke Jhatla where 155 children are enrolled.

There are 221 children enrolled at the GGPS Dhoke Saadu, which has four classrooms of which one is dangerous, and one out of the GGES Pind Votti’s 10 classrooms – home to 371 students – is also dangerous.

The GGPS in Bun Bhola has 232 students and just two classrooms and needs four more, while the GGES in Godha has 464 students and seven classrooms and needs three more. GGPS Dhoke Sadu has four classrooms for 221 students and GGPS Ehata Tarbela had four classrooms for 278 – both schools need two more classrooms each.

The GGPS in Salargarh has 106 students and two classrooms and needs two more, while the GGPS Badhana Khurd has 157 students and four classrooms, and also needs two more. The GGES in Losar Sharfoo has 502 students and nine classrooms; it needs two more, as does the GGPS in Juggain, which has 135 students and four classrooms.

The GGPS in Bajjar has 207 students studying in three classrooms, the GGPS in Massian has 271 students studying in three classrooms and the GGPS in Pind Gondal has 188 students studying in three classrooms – all three require two additional classrooms each.

There are 293 children enrolled at the GGPS in Brahma, which has eight classrooms and needs two more.

Primary schools in Malpur and Kolian also lack boundary walls, and the GGPS in Malpur also has no water facilities, forcing its 60 students and staff to visit nearby houses to fetch water.

Meanwhile the government boys’ primary schools in Dhoke Sadu and Dhoke Pour are operating without electrcitiy, and the primary schools on Railway Road and in Losar Sharfoo and Lub Thatto do not have proper furniture. The Losar Sharfoo and Ahmed Nagar primary schools also lack classrooms, while one school in Passwal does not have a proper building.

When contacted, Assistant Education Officer Syed Akhter Shah said the report of missing facilities, such as the lack of electricity, furniture and boundary walls, has been forwarded to the district and provincial education authorities and the issues will be addressed after funds are sanctioned by the concerned authorities.

Published in Dawn, January 14th, 2019