Government Middle School Harkarpora in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kupwara district is operating from three rooms and two temporary tents after its three-room school building was dismantled in 2024. The building was declared unsafe, leaving more than 160 students with limited classroom space.
The school has 163 students and a staff strength of six, according to details available with Kashmir Outlook.
Following the demolition of the old building, the school now has three rooms and two temporary tents arranged by the Tourism Department. The tents, each measuring about 12 feet by 24 feet, are being used to accommodate students from multiple classes.
The school caters to 11 classes, from Nursery, LKG and UKG to Grade 8, according to school records.
Students from Classes 2 to 5, numbering around 61, are accommodated in the Tourism Department tents. Other classes operate from the three available rooms, with all rooms being shared by more than one class.
One room accommodates Classes 1 and 2, with around 24 and 20 students respectively, while another accommodates students of Classes 6 and 7, numbering around 35. The third room is also used by school staff and for storing school materials besides catering to a class.
The arrangement has left the school without dedicated classrooms for each grade and has raised concerns among teachers and residents over the adequacy of space for teaching and learning.
A team from the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) visited the school earlier this month, and assured the school that the issue would be taken up with the authorities, according to people familiar with the visit. No action has been taken so far, they said.
Teachers and local residents have also raised concerns over the school’s infrastructure, saying the present arrangement is particularly difficult during periods of adverse weather. With winter approaching, they fear that classes could be further disrupted.
The school has two cooks and one Aaya worker, in addition to six staff members, according to information available with Kashmir Outlook.
The school has only about one kanal and six marlas of land, limiting the scope for expansion, a teacher at the school said on condition of anonymity.
The teacher said a nearby landowner had offered additional land of 3 kanals for construction of a school building and playground in exchange for government land, but the proposal was not processed.
A local person familiar with the matter said Jammu and Kashmir Bank had also indicated its willingness to provide funding under its corporate social responsibility programme for construction of a new school building. The proposal, however, required processing by the concerned department and had not been taken forward, the person said.
The school is located near a forest and does not have fencing around its premises, according to teachers and locals, who said this raised additional safety concerns for students and staff.
The land on which the school currently stands was donated by local residents in two portions, one in 1995 and another in 2011, according to people familiar with the matter. The donors have not been compensated, they said.
The donors have previously locked the school twice to press for compensation and have warned that they could again lock the premises if the issue remains unresolved, residents said.
The current infrastructure has also prompted concerns about whether the school has adequate facilities to meet prescribed educational and classroom requirements.
The shortage of classrooms was inconsistent with the objective of providing appropriate learning spaces under the National Education Policy.
Kashmir Outlook attempted to contact the Chief Education Officer, Kupwara, for comment but he was not available.
Parents and residents have sought construction of a permanent school building and adequate classroom facilities, saying students should not have to continue their education in temporary and overcrowded arrangements.
