Three schools in a building, library in trunk, students on floor: A govt school in Gurgaon

Gurgaon: Rita Devi, principal of the Om Nagar Government High School, sits in a corner of a tiny classroom she shares with 60 students.
It is, obviously, difficult to work this way but Rita Devi says she has no option. Unlike other principals, she doesn’t have a cabin, or even a private space she can call her office. The classroom corner is the only place she has got in a cramped building that is currently shared by three schools.
The single-storey building belongs to the government-run Shivaji Nagar middle and primary schools. But with the Om Nagar school losing its campus, it was accommodated there temporarily. The temporary arrangement has now continued for five years. And the four-classroom building struggles to provide space for 170 students.
“I only have a desk and chair in one of the classrooms. It’s disturbing especially when classes are on, but I don’t have much choice. The rooms are so small we struggle to move around inside,” said Rita Devi.
The Om Nagar school building was razed five years ago as the structure was thought to be unsafe. “There was fear the building may collapse. Frankly speaking, there was nothing wrong with it. I don’t know why they brought it down,” said the mid-day meal distributor of the school, who lives in Om Nagar.
The plot where the Om Nagar school once stood remains vacant with no sign of construction. Locals use it as a garbage dump. “Many people park their cars there too,” said the principal.
When TOI visited, there were bricks piled up on a side. Two tandoors and a hawker’s cart were also seen on the plot.
“During break time, there are so many kids we don’t know how many of them return to class. It’s been nearly five years since we shifted here, but the authorities have not cared to build our school again,” said a teacher, requesting anonymity. “No one in the education department ever heard us. We’re teaching children with whatever facility the the government provides. Students have to sit on the floor as there are no benches. Library books and other documents are stored in trunks as we don’t have cupboards. We fear one day this too will close down.”
District elementary education officer Ram Kumar blamed the state government for the delay. “We’ve asked the state government for a budget to construct a new building, which is yet to be sanctioned,” he said.