Miles to travel, before they reach school

PANCHKULA: Families living in sectors 21, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27 and 28 of Panchkula are forced to send their children studying in higher classes to other schools due to lack of a senior secondary school. Children studying in classes IX, X, XI and XII have to cover an extra 3-6 km to reach schools.
At present, there is only one government middle level school in Sector 25 where students can study up to Class VIII.After passing the class, they do not have many choices. Either they have to shift to the senior secondary school in Sector 20 or to Ramgarh.
In recent years, a large number of residential houses including group housing societies have developed in these sectors. Residents including private and government employees are finding it hard to deal with the situation as there is not even a single private senior secondary school available, where they can send their children.
Deepak Chaudhary, a resident of Sector 25, said it is difficult to send children far away for studying. ‘‘A senior secondary school is must for the children studying here. And considering the number of accident cases, it fears us to send our children across the highway,’’ he said.
Another resident of Sector 26, Amit Kashyap said, ‘‘Government has been neglecting theses sectors since long, and despite several demands they are still mulling over proposals. Considering their lackadaisical attitude, it seems the problem will not be solved soon.’’
Subhash Kapoor, secretary of joint action committee Panchkula said, ‘‘City’s population is increasing day by day, while the facilities provided by government are as same as they were 15 years ago. A senior secondary school is a much needed necessity for residents living in these sectors.’’
District education officer Nalini Meemani, said, ‘‘A proposal for establishing a senior secondary school in Sector 25 has already been sent to the state education department. We are awaiting a response from higher authorities and whenever we receive their approval, work will start on the plan.’’