With 151 government schools in Budgam alone operating from cramped, unsafe rentals, students face suffocating conditions—while composite schooling and NEP 2020 offer untapped solutions
In Jammu and Kashmir, a large number of government schools are operating from rented buildings due to the lack of government school facilities. As per the official reports, 151 government schools in my home district, Budgam, are operating from rented accommodations. The breakdown includes 81 primary schools, 67 middle schools, 2 high schools, and 1 higher secondary school.
Eighty-one primary schools are a huge number. In my village, there is only one middle school that too operates from rented accommodation. I admitted my son to the same school and, therefore, know its ins and outs. The school has a few square feet of lawn, is very congested, suffocating, and has zero attraction and appeal, which is the case with all rented accommodations. The roll of the school is close to 200. It appears as if 200 flourishing buds are imprisoned at 9:30 and set free at 3:30 (school timing). Though the staff working there is very competent, qualified, and hard-working, the only motivating factor is to stabilise and enhance the roll.
In the hopeful and lively education system of J&K, the state of school infrastructure has emerged as a critical determinant of students’ learning outcomes and overall well-being. With impressive figures of enrollment in the current year at the primary level, the challenge for infrastructure becomes even bigger, which a rented school building lacks completely. At the primary level alone, around 35,000 students have gained admission to government schools across the valley, including 1,500 children who had never previously attended school.
Adequate school infrastructure profoundly influences a student’s educational journey. It fosters a sense of security, comfort, and motivation among the students. The school infrastructure promotes regular attendance and plays a pivotal role in ensuring the physical and mental well-being of students. Quality infrastructure enhances the overall educational experience, where students can fully explore their potential.
Some of the key benefits of good school infrastructure are: A good school infrastructure boosts the morale of educators. When infrastructure is adequate, educators can deliver lessons more effectively. It helps teachers develop creative and engaging teaching methods.
It is an observed fact that schools with quality infrastructure have lower dropout rates and higher attendance rates. An adequate school infrastructure provides a conducive and comfortable environment for students. Well-maintained facilities create a positive atmosphere that encourages active learning and engagement. Well-ventilated classrooms and modern technology aids foster creativity and better learning outcomes. When a school has well-equipped libraries, laboratories, and computer rooms, academic performance will improve significantly.
The school should be nice to look at. For a school to be safe and secure is really important. This means making sure the entrances are safe, having plans for emergencies, and following health and safety rules. The classrooms with good air, heating, and comfy furniture are really important.
All these requirements and benefits are not possible in a rented school building, most of which are being run in a second storey, the first storey being occupied by bakers and tailors. The School Education Department (SED) should take serious steps to do away with the culture of rented school buildings; otherwise, the dictum, “Poor quality education for the poor,” will be accepted by the people as truth.
Some of the steps that can be taken without further procrastination are: Construction of school buildings in a phased manner. Start building a government building in a village that has only one elementary school.
Composite schooling: Any school having the same management at all levels/stages—elementary, secondary, and higher secondary sections—and that is within the same boundary/compound/campus of the school is a composite school. There are many government high schools and higher secondary schools in the vicinity of where primary and middle schools are operating in rented buildings. These government high and higher secondary schools have adequate facilities in terms of infrastructure, modern technologies like ICT labs, ATAL tinkering labs, smart boards, etc. The rented primary and middle schools can easily be accommodated in these government high and higher secondary schools, along with the staff. The resources and students can be pooled together, making it easier for the students to have complete access to modern technology-based education, especially in rural areas. It will help in the sharing of resources and provide facilities like a library, laboratory, and sports to the students who were bereft of these facilities in rented accommodations.
NEP 2020 also emphasises the importance of integrating different levels of education.
It is humbly requested that the officials who are at the helm of affairs do away with these rented accommodations as soon as possible. These rented school buildings are like prisons where our children suffocate every day. An educator in these rented schools is scared of the building owners. They need permission for opening and closing doors and windows. Even the movements of children are under the scrutiny of these owners.
The writer is a teacher at the Government Secondary School Narbal
Muntashir Kifayat Hussain
mu**************@***il.com