About two dozen government schools have been closed in the last five years in border districts of Tarn Taran due to paucity of funds. The Valtoha block in the district is worst affected, where 24 schools have closed down in the last decade. This is not all. The strength of staff in all the 30 government schools in the block is not even 50 per cent. “In Sajre-Majre Chhanna, Mehedipur, Gajjal and Kalia Skatra, one teacher is managing the whole school with the average strength of 30 students,” said Lt Col GS Sandhu (retd), chairman of Majha Ex-Servicemen Human Rights Front, which conducted a survey and had submitted a report regarding sorry state of affairs of education in the area, to the government, last year.

The absenteeism among teachers and low attendance in schools are commonplace, he said, adding the successive governments have ignored the area. “First it was terrorism and then the neglect by the governments that have led to the downfall of the educational standard in the border belt. Teachers don’t want to be posted here and exploit the political clout, if any, to stay their postings. The government should be strict,” said Sandhu, adding that in some schools the teacher-students ratio was 200:1.

“The sole professional college, Government Polytechnic College in Bhikhiwind, is only in name. The seven posts, out of the total eight, are vacant for the last many years,” he said, adding that parents were worried about the future of their children.

Jarnail Singh, a senior citizen in Mehedipur village, said those who can afford have got their children admitted to private schools in Patti, Bhikhwind and even Amritsar, but what about the majority who cannot afford.

“I have four children and cannot bear the fee of private schools and travelling expenses. I know that the standard of education is pitiable, but I am helpless and will have to send children to the government school only,” he said, adding that due to lower quality education and lack of technical skills their children cannot compete in the job market.