​473 UP gov aided schools remain shut in Bijnor during monsoon: Survey

Bijnor: Come monsoon, children in the district have no classwork or homework. Every year, most school going children in Bijnor do not attend school. While this has nothing to do with just incessant rains, the crumbling infrastructure of around 473 government aided schools is the sole reason why children in Bijnor enjoy a ‘monsoon break’.
A survey conducted by the education department has revealed that most schools in the district are built at a lower level than the roads, thus allowing for formation of puddles on the school premises during monsoons.Children are therefore, unable to enter schools.
Bijendra Singh, a villager from Rawli, said, “Once it rains, there is no way that children or teachers can enter schools. Classes are affected. Every year there are talks of soil being filled in those schools which are at low levels but nothing has been done so far. Now with just two months left for the monsoons to arrive, soil-filling needs to done as soon as possible if schools are to remain open.”
The district has a total of 2,500 primary and upper primary schools, where over 2 lakh students study. According to the survey report, a majority of the total 473 schools are situated outside villages near farms or constructed in deep areas, which are at a lower level than the roads. The report further pointed out at the schools were constructed wherever land was available and no study was conducted on whether it was suitable for construction. Maximum such schools are situated in Bijnor’s Jaleelpur development block.
Talking to TOI in this regard, Salim Akhtar Beg, coordinator, establishment branch, education department, said, “A survey on schools which remain closed due to rainfall was done in the district. Schools are shut because they are poorly built with no consideration given to location. We will make sure land is evened out by filling soil. Schools will not remain shut during this season,” added Beg.