Rawalpindi -  Despite government’s claims of improvements in educational facilities, the Government Boys High School Dhama Syedan is deprived of basic infrastructure to accommodate the newly enrolled students. Also, the school administration is facing shortage of funds, exposing negligence of ministry of education and the Punjab government towards the education system in the province.

The shortage of classrooms and furniture has forced many students to study while sitting on rough floors or sometime in the veranda in sizzling heat. Due to shortage of classrooms and furniture, the school administration is refusing admissions of new students.

The parents expressed their deep concerns over the situation and demanded Chief Minister Punjab Mian Shehbaz Sharif, Federal Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan and MPA Chaudhry Sarfraz Afzal to take notice of the maladies of people and students.

According to a survey, conducted by The Nation on Friday, Government Boys High School, located in Dhama Syedan, the thickly populated area of NA-52, is facing shortage of classrooms and furniture.

Similarly, the school administration has no funds to run the administrative affairs. At present more than 550 students are enrolled with Government Boys High School, Dhama Syedan and most of the students belong to poor families. The school has only seven classrooms to accommodate such a largest strength of students. A single room is being used as computer lab.

Moreover, teachers have no proper staff room and they use to sit in a store room using broken chairs. In case of any damage to the furniture, teachers repair it with the help of students. The rear boundary wall of the school is quite low making it vulnerable to any possible untoward incident. A student told The Nation that he wanted to be an engineer in future but lack of facilities in his school has made difficult for him to achieve his dream.

“Sometime I feel myself suffocated in a congested classroom. I am a Pakistani and has right to enjoy all the facilities a state meant to be given to its residents,” he said. “I am sitting on a bench that is made with iron-rods but its wooden seat has broken. The government should pay heed towards the worries of students and should provide missing facilities,” a student told.

The seven classrooms were built at the time of inauguration of school and neither government nor elected representatives bothered to add more rooms in the school to accommodate the newcomers, said a teacher. He told that teachers have evacuated their staff room in order to accommodate students and now the teachers are sitting in a store room. He said school is facing funds shortage and the principal often collect funds from teachers besides tuition fee from students to run the school affairs.

Many parents protested against the negligence of government and the leaders for ignoring their troubles. They said they are poor and cannot afford hefty fees of private schools. 

PML-N MPA Chaudhry Sarfraz Afzal, however, when contacted to know his point of view over miserable condition of school, said the matter is in his notice and he would soon send request to the government for funds. “I will make all out efforts to provide missing facilities to the school,” he said.