Knee-deep water forces over 500 Budhera School students out of classrooms

With sanitation staff rarely available, students said they are often tasked with cleaning classrooms themselves.

Nearly 500 students of Rajkiya Varishth Madhyamik Vidyalaya in Budhera village, Sector 102, have been forced to study in knee-deep, garbage-filled water for nearly a week after record rainfall left their school waterlogged. Classrooms remain flooded, toilets inaccessible, and basic facilities crippled, pushing many children to skip school and others to fall ill, students and parents said.

Rajkiya Varishth Madhyamik Vidyalaya in Budhera village, Sector 102 (HT Photo)

“The water inside the school has cut us off from the toilets. Many of us only come on important days now,” said a Class 12 student, who asked not to be identified, after attending the school on Friday to mark Teachers’ Day.

With sanitation staff rarely available, students said they are often tasked with cleaning classrooms themselves. “Our turn comes according to roll numbers. We come here to study, but many times we end up sweeping or mopping instead,” said another student, also asking to remain anonymous.

The school’s deteriorating condition has also created safety risks. Earlier this week, a heavy metal gate detached from its hook and crashed to the ground. “Luckily, no one was around. Otherwise, it could have left someone severely injured,” said a Class 11 student, asking to remain anonymous.

With multiple classes now forced into the same room, teachers said the chaos is undermining learning.

Manju Rani, school principal who took charge in November, explained that the school’s low elevation makes it vulnerable to waterlogging. “The building is constructed about four feet below the Badli Road and is adjacent to Budhera pond. During rains, water seeps out of the ground and collects around the premises, making drainage ineffective,” she said.

On Wednesday, the staff signed and submitted a letter to village Sarpanch Hansraj Yadav, urging immediate dewatering of the school premises. However, they were told that the problem could only be addressed once the rains stop.

Meanwhile, as part of the Haryana government’s school infrastructure revamp programme, a foundation stone has been laid for a new building located within the premises of the Government Senior Secondary School to expand the infrastructure. But until the project is completed, students continue to struggle in unsafe and unsanitary conditions.