School under lock for last five months

GNS Report, In between dispute of a family with the education department on the construction of a School, the future of 44 students enrolled in Government Primary School Mehraj Pura in Rajouri district is on stake as the school is under lock for the last five months and the students are receiving education under the shade of trees. Sources said that a family had locked Government Primary School Mehraj Pura Saaj in Thanamandi Education Zone of Rajouri district claiming that the land on which the school is constructed belongs to them. The family members said that they had been assured by the department that their one family member will be engaged as Cook in the school as compensation of land given by them but after passage of years no one was engaged which forced them to put lock on the school. As per details, Mohammad Akram a local resident had locked the school five months later and his only demand was engagement of his one family member as Cook. Although Mohammad Akram died recently due to short circuit in his house, his wife has continued the claim. With the locking of the school, students are receiving classes under the roof of sky and shade of trees in the nearby locality. " We cannot enter the school because it was locked by someone so we are imparting education in open", a student said. Even teachers said that although they attempted various times to get the school opened, the family interfered and forced them to vacate it at the earliest. "This is dispute between a family and education department but our students are suffering a lot and administration must take some steps in this regard", a teacher said on the condition of anonymity. He added that for the last five months, students have received a major loss and they are not able to compete with others and the main reason is non availability of any school building. Sources said that the department has confronted a big problem in the school as they had already engaged a local as Cook and they cannot engage two cooks in the same school. Although sources said that education department had given contract of the school building to the land owner besides kitchen shed was also constructed by the same person, the family want nothing less than a government service as a compensation of the land. They said that they will not allow running of school in their land till they will not be compensated. When contacted, Zonal Education Officer Thanamandi, Mohammad Iqbal Choudhary, he admitted that the school has been locked by a local and they are demanding employment in it. He however said that the school is functioning but without building. "We had approached police to open this school but they could not get it opened and now we have entered in negotiation with the family and settlement is expected within days", ZEO said adding that the school will re-open very soon.