Pulwama, Sep 15: Surrounded by private educational institutes, a government school in New Colony area of south Kashmir’s Pulwama district stands out.
PM Shri Government Middle School Pulwama has attracted about 300 students, drawing children from different parts of the town despite competition from several private schools in the neighbourhood.
Parents say the quality of teaching is one of the main reasons they prefer the government school over private alternatives.
“The quality of education has encouraged us to send our children to the school,” said Nazir Ahmad, a parent.
But the school’s growing popularity has also exposed a basic constraint-lack of space.
With more students seeking admission, the limited space available to the school is affecting its ability to expand classrooms and provide additional facilities needed to accommodate the growing strength.
Teachers and parents say the school has the potential to attract even more students if its infrastructure is expanded. The demand, they say, reflects a change in the perception of government schools, where parents are increasingly willing to enrol their children when teaching standards and academic performance are strong.
For the school, however, accommodating more students without adequate space remains a challenge.
While private schools have expanded across the town, a government institution drawing students from different localities is struggling to create enough space for its own growth.
“We have now had to create partitions in the classrooms to accommodate the growing number of students,” said a teacher.
Parents say better infrastructure would allow the school to serve more children in the area.
“The school has good teachers and the children are receiving quality education. If more space and facilities are provided, it can accommodate more students,” said a parent.
An official said that an additional block had been sanctioned to the institute and it would resolve the space issues
The parents, however, complained that the authorities were taking too long to take up the construction work.
They urged the authorities to start the work without any further delay.
