Karnah, Aug 25: The Government Middle School (GMS) Kandi Bala is reeling under an alarming crisis as 85 students from Classes 1 to 8 are forced to study in a single classroom, a situation that raises grave concerns about both the quality of education and the safety of children.
According to locals, the school has just three rooms. One functions as the office, another is used as a kitchen-cum-store for the mid-day meal scheme, leaving only a single classroom for all academic activities. As a result, students from eight different classes are crammed together, making meaningful teaching and learning nearly impossible.
“It is unimaginable that students of different grades, from beginners to middle-schoolers, are packed into the same room. How can education take place under such suffocating conditions?” asked a worried parent.
The crisis has deepened further after the Education Department, despite knowing the space crunch, merged another school with GMS Kandi Bala, putting additional pressure on the already crumbling infrastructure.
To make matters worse, the school stands directly beneath a decaying Chinar tree with broken branches, which villagers fear could collapse anytime. “The lives of 85 students and their teachers are under constant threat. Authorities must act before a tragedy strikes,” said another parent.
Parents and community members have repeatedly appealed to the Education Department to provide immediate relief through temporary classrooms, prefabricated huts, or other arrangements until the school infrastructure is upgraded. They warn that unless urgent measures are taken, both the safety and the future of these children will remain in grave jeopardy.
The situation at GMS Kandi Bala is not just about one school—it reflects a larger failure in addressing rural education infrastructure in border areas like Karnah, where students continue to struggle for the basic right to safe and quality education.
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