Shivani Bhakoo Tribune News Service Ludhiana May 20 The state Education Department has said it has been doing exceptionally well to increase enrolment in government schools across the state. Higher officials said teachers were leaving no stone unturned to attract parents to enrol their wards. According to the data available with the department in the district as many as 900 students have been enrolled in Ludhiana district alone. Expressing concern over new admissions principals and teachers said: “It is good that government schools are able to attract students but the problem of accommodating new admissions still needs to be dealt with. How can the new students be accommodated in schools where there is no scope of further expansion of infrastructure?” Student strength in govt schools Jawaddi: 1343 Dhandari Khurd: 2027 Lohara: 1826 Dhandari Kalan: 1622 Giaspura: 4688 Sherpur Kalan: 1295 Sherpur Khurd: 1541 PAU: 1441 Indrapuri: 903 The student strength in government schools across the district is as follows: Jawaddi has 1343 students; Dhandari Khurd 2027; Lohara 1826; Dhandari Kalan 1622; Giaspura 4688; Sherpur Kalan 1295; Sherpur Khurd 1541; PAU 1441; and Indrapuri 903. “In many schools there is no scope of infrastructure expansion and the number of teachers in some schools is also less than the required strength. How can we provide quality education to students with incomplete infrastructure? We immediately require more classrooms to accommodate new admissions. This is also the perfect time to expand infrastructure as schools are closed right now and construction can be done easily. But once schools open accommodating the new admissions will become a major issue” said principal of a government school where more than 250 new admissions took place. A senior teacher of another government school said there school too did not have sufficient number of teachers. “We are giving admission to new students but if teachers will not be available how can quality education be provided? Vacancies should be immediately filled by the department by next year otherwise all those who have taken admission this year may leave and the purpose of enrolling more students will be defeated” the teacher said. The schools in Chetsingh Nagar Shimlapuri Indrapuri and Chanandevi have only one building. “Chandar Nagar has about 450 students and the school is being run is in a 150-200 square yards area. Where will we make students sit if more new admissions take place?” said another teacher.

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