Rafiullah Mandokhail
ZHOB: The historical ‘Special primary school’ known as ‘Mandir school’ was once a place for Hindu worshipers, but now the two-story building is being used as a primary school, where hundreds of children wearing yellow uniform get education. During the partition in 1947 the temple was abandoned and later on it was converted into a school. The temple was built in 18th century.
Special school is located in the middle of the city and it is one of the best schools in the entire area, but importunely it lacks all basic facilities including clean drinking water, electricity and wash facility due to the apathy of the concerned authorities.
The forgotten and neglected historical school building now presents a gloomy picture. It comprises over a dozen rooms is crumbling and posing a serious threat to the students. The ceilings of the rooms are in a dilapidated condition and the walls have developed cracks as no repair and renovation have been done since long due to non-availably of funds.
The school administration has sent countless requests and reminders to the authorities concerned to address the problems but to no avail. Headmaster of the school Ghulam Jilani Gandapur says, the centuries-old school building is in a dilapidated condition, it is situated in a low-laying area having no drainage system.
“In rainy days, the rain water accumulated in the yard and turned it into a lake that creates problems for both students and teachers and affects the classes”. Moreover he says, the classrooms are overcrowded and already have two to three times more students than the capacity. Shortage of classrooms has forced the children to study while sitting in veranda or the courtyard in chilly cold and sizzling heat. Majority of the students are compelled to sit on the bare floor. Therefore, accommodating the newly-enrolled children is not only difficult but also impossible here.
Suffocation in classroom is intolerable but the teacher and students have no other option but to stay in. Jilani says, the students in school are consuming contaminated water as the school does not have a proper water supply system. He laments. Right under the nose of the district administration and the concern department, it is an example of the neglect faced by public sector educational institutions, despite tall claims made by the provincial government.
