Once the school day ends, the compound of the Government Primary School, Chak 422-GB in Tandlianwala near the city of Faisalabad, becomes a haven of gamblers, addicts and drug pushers.
The recent drive to increase the security of schools after the Bacha Khan University attack, did not make any difference to the school whose boundary wall is still missing.
Up to 70 boys and girls are enrolled in the school having one male and three female teachers.
The school lacks functional toilets, furniture and drinking water. Its electric motor was stolen a couple of months ago.
Fiaz Ahmed, a student of the school, said an addict had slapped him when he asked him about the drug trade and gambling on the school premises.
He said the only functional toilet was being used by the teachers while students answered the call of nature in the nearby fields.
Ahsan Ali, a resident of the area, said the teachers had requested the education department for the construction of boundary wall, repair of toilets and provision of potable water without any result.
“We read in the newspapers that educational institutes are under threat after the terrorists attack on Bacha Khan University but nothing is being done to improve this school,” he said.
Residents of the area are also concerned about the pathetic condition of the school. They say they have no choice as private schools are far away from the village.
Owais Ali, another student, said some people had also encroached upon the school land and the administration was well aware of the situation.
