Jaisalmer: Several govt schools in Rajasthan’s border districts of Barmer and Jaisalmer are still functioning without permanent buildings, forcing students to attend classes in makeshift huts or in the open.In Barmer’s Ramsar panchayat, Govt Upper Primary School Azad Nagar in Gangala gram panchayat is a stark example. Sanctioned under the 2022-23 Budget and started in March 2023, the school has 37 students but no permanent building. Classes are being held in a hut built by villagers or under trees.Students are exposed to rain, storms, extreme heat and winter cold. The school also lacks toilet facilities, forcing girls to use nearby trees and bushes. Teachers too struggle to conduct classes and protect teaching material from the weather.“Whether it rains, there is a storm or it is extremely hot, we have to study under trees,” said Class 5 students, urging authorities to provide a proper building and basic facilities.The district elementary education officer said land for the school was allotted in 2024, but funds for construction have yet to be sanctioned. Work will begin after the required budget is approved, the official said.More than two dozen schools in Barmer are reportedly functioning without proper pucca buildings. While some face delays due to funding, land disputes have held up construction at others. Several schools are also operating from dilapidated or temporary structures.The situation highlights the lack of basic educational infrastructure in the state’s strategically important border districts, with students continuing to study without permanent classrooms, toilets and other essential facilities.
