2 teachers for 400 students, only one passes Class 10

Girls in this school have big dreams. But unfortunately, we are not able to give them our best. It is like we are playing with the future of these girls.

AMRITSAR: As many as 400 girl students are taught by only two teachers at Government Senior Secondary School for Girls at Khemkaran in district Tarn Taran, on Indo- Pak border. The school has no principal, and of the 18 posts of teachers, 16 are lying vacant.

The school is among other schools in state which suffer due to negligence by higher authorities, to an extent that in the recent PSEB Class 10 results, of 64 girls in this school, 63 have failed.

The decline in the pass percentage, which has come out to be only 57.50% this year, has been upsetting as well as alarming for the education department and government. During a visit to the school, it was seen that only two teachers, one for Punjabi and one for computers, are running the school. From cooking the midday meal to teaching all subjects, and managing the administrative affairs of the school, the duo is performing all duties, all by themselves.

Education minister Aruna Choudhry said that the Captain government is aware of the plight of the Border-belt schools, where students are suffering due to lack of infrastructure and teachers. Teachers do not want to work in such far-flung areas as basic facilities are missing. Aruna assured that they are trying to find solution to this problem and vacancies will be filled soon.

Kuljeet Kaur, the Punjabi teacher and also in acting principal at the school, said, “Girls in this school have big dreams. But unfortunately, we are not able to give them our best. There are just two teachers here, including me. It is like we are playing with the future of these girls. Our appeal to the new government is to solve this issue.” She said, “There was problem in marking system during practicals, we had given more than total marks due to some confusion, seeing this, department had failed the students. The snag will be corrected soon.”

Students said, “At least these teachers did not leave us like others transferred here. Government is not concerned about us. Their focus is on people who are already blessed.”