Accommodation crunch cripples functioning of govt schools in Kashmir
Srinagar: In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, the acute shortage of accommodation in several government schools across rural Kashmir has emerged as a major impediment to quality education, with teachers saying lack of classrooms and delayed infrastructure projects are hampering learning.
According to Kashmir Media Service, most government schools in north and south Kashmir continue to grapple with a severe shortage of classrooms, forcing students to study in cramped conditions.
At Government High School Nagbal in Chandoosa zone of Baramulla, upgraded from middle to high school under RMSA in 2014, teachers said the institution is yet to receive sanctioned posts as per its upgraded status. The school caters to more than 100 students from kindergarten to class 10 with only seven rooms in an old building. Teachers said all rooms are in dilapidated condition and “unsuitable for regular academic activities” and that construction of a new building has remained incomplete since 2017.
A similar situation prevails at Government Middle School Durhama in D H Pora zone of Kulgam, where around 125 students from kindergarten to Class 10 are accommodated in just four classrooms.
Teachers said the shortage has deprived students of playgrounds and space for co-curricular activities, and morning assembly is being conducted on nearby land as a temporary arrangement.
