School building collapses, government unmoved 
Shariq Majeed
Tribune News Service

Phagwari-Mandi (Poonch), September 24
At a time when the state government thinks big of introducing information technology in higher secondary schools, it is not able to reconstruct even a school building, which collapsed two years back.
Heavy snowfall and winds damaged the building of Government Primary School, Phagwari, in 2006 and since then the students have been studying in houses of villagers.
One of the two teachers of the school, asking not to be named, confirmed the apathetic attitude of the authorities.
Besides studies, the school records and infrastructure, including furniture, have been housed in the houses, the teacher added.
“We urged the state government to reconstruct the building but nothing happened. The students suffer especially during rainy season and snowfall,” he said.
“When the government didn’t pay any attention, we requested the locals to allow us to run classes in their houses and house our record and furniture. To which they allowed us access and that too free of cost,” the teacher said.
Few months back, the government on its part gave a tent to run the school. “But it is not possible to run the classes in a single tent,” the teacher said.
Village sarpanch Ghulam Muhammad said they had raised the matter during the visit of former Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad to the area by putting up banners, demanding reconstruction of school building, but without success.
“We raised the issue with the Education Department and district administration many a times but they say that they will get the building reconstructed only after they get funds,” the sarpanch said.
Paramjit Singh, chief education officer, Poonch, confirmed that the school building collapsed in 2006-2007 and was not reconstructed since then.
“We don’t have funds to reconstruct the school building. As soon as we get funds we will reconstruct the building,” the CEO claimed. But the department has given a tent to the school.