More than three hundred senior secondary and elementary schools hit by floods; Education department starts review of damage to schools.
Chandigarh- With several villages in Hoshiarpur, Kapurthala, Tarn Taran, Gurdaspur, Ferozepur, Amritsar, Sultanpur Lodhi and Fazilka submerged due to floods, the Punjab Education Department has started an exercise to assess the damage to schools. The concerned district authorities have started rescue operations and the Education Department is also assessing the damage to schools.
Chandigarh- With several villages in Hoshiarpur, Kapurthala, Tarn Taran, Gurdaspur, Ferozepur, Amritsar, Sultanpur Lodhi and Fazilka submerged due to floods, the Punjab Education Department has started an exercise to assess the damage to schools. The concerned district authorities have started rescue operations and the Education Department is also assessing the damage to schools.
According to initial reports, more than 300 senior secondary and elementary schools have been affected in the flood-affected districts. The state government had announced holidays in schools from August 27 to August 30 yesterday.
According to reports, many schools in Kapurthala, Ferozepur, Gurdaspur and Fazilka have been submerged by flood water. Department officials said that since the flood water is likely to damage furniture and structures, a structural safety check will have to be conducted before the flood water recedes and classes resume.
The worst-affected schools are in Amritsar, Ferozepur, Gurdaspur, Hoshiarpur, Ropar, Nawanshahr districts. School teachers in Fazilka and Ferozepur districts said that roads leading to schools are submerged in 2 to 3 feet of water due to the rising water in the Sutlej. “Even though the flood water has not entered some parts of the school, the school is still inaccessible,” said Mahinder Kaurianwali, a teacher in Fazilka.
The flood-affected villages are facing many problems. “Even if the water recedes, the threat of water-borne diseases, rehabilitation of displaced families, provision of food and water to the affected people was a challenge,” said Hawadar Alluwal, another teacher from Kapurthala. The district administration has issued high alerts due to floods in Beas and Sutlej, due to which the government has declared holidays for all schools. If classes have to resume, alternative arrangements will have to be made.
Education Minister Harjot Bains said that the situation is changing moment by moment. “We are getting regular updates on the flood situation and will take a decision accordingly,” he said.
