Students forced to sit on cold floor at Fatehabad school due to furniture scarcity

An alarming situation came to light at the Government Senior Secondary School in Meond Kalan village of Jakhal block in Fatehabad district, where students were being forced to sit on the cold floor to receive lessons amid a severe shortage of furniture. Despite the availability of classrooms, bathrooms, and other basic facilities, the absence of desks and chairs has left nearly 500 students struggling to study as they sit on makeshift mats for hours.

The issue, which has been ongoing for years, has drawn attention from the school management committee (SMC), led by president Ramphal Chauhan. Committee members, including Deepak Sharma, Devender Singh, Rajinder Singh, Ramniwas, Rashpal Kaur, and Manpreet Kaur, have written to the Education Department to highlight this critical problem. Despite changes in the government, the school’s infrastructure has not improved, and students continue to sit on the floor.

The school, which serves children from classes I to XII, has 19 classrooms, 11 bathrooms, a submersible pump for drinking water, and electricity, but the lack of a basic seating arrangement for students has remained unaddressed. Even though the number of classrooms has increased over the years, the provision of desks and benches has not followed suit, leaving the children with no choice but to study while sitting on the cold and hard floor.

Chauhan said the situation had persisted for so long that it seemed almost like a tradition at the school. He said the issue had largely been ignored by both local representatives and departmental authorities. The absence of proper seating and basic amenities for play and rest made it difficult to imagine the quality of education being imparted there, he said.

During a recent meeting of the SMC, discussions were held about the children’s uniforms, desks, and parent meetings, with a strong demand raised for a new shed to be built at the school. There was also a proposal to repair the restrooms.

The committee has sent letters to Rajya Sabha MP Subhash Barala and Tohana MLA Parmveer Singh, requesting that benches and proper seating arrangements be provided to the school.

School principal Karamjeet Singh said the authorities had been informed about the problems in the school and all possible efforts were being made to resolve them. Additionally, a form had been filled out on the portal for the same, he said. As soon as the desks are available, they will be provided to the children.

District Education Officer Sangeeta Bishnoi said she had not received any information about the issue yet. She said she would verify the matter and ensure that the required facilities were provided to the school according to the available provisions. She said all schools uploaded their requirements on the MIS portal, which could only be accessed by the higher authorities. Based on this, the necessary arrangements were made in schools. She also said that under the pilot project, desks and other facilities had been provided to all government schools in the Bhattu block of the district, and similar facilities would be provided to schools in other blocks as well.