Children the CM forgot!

The Government Sunrise School for the Blind, in Kasurpura, is one of the province’s most reputed and oldest schools for the visually impaired. However, of late, the school has fallen prey to a host of problems, forcing the students to complain about the dilapidated condition of the school building as well as the unhygienic food served to those living in the hostels, Pakistan Today learnt on Saturday.
The students said the school administration is using muddy sewerage water to prepare food for them and that they face threats from the teachers if they raise their voices against the issues.
The students living in the school’s hostel said the Punjab CM was busy distributing laptops among students of other institutions, but that he never considered the issues of students like those from the Sunrise School.
The students said they felt discriminated against as students at various education institutions across the province are enjoying modern educational facilities while the students at the Sunrise School were left deprived of basic facilities. They stated that they were forced to live like animals and demanded the CM to take notice of the issues prevalent at the school.
However, sources inside the school administration said the teachers’ internal politics were the root cause of the school’s problems. They said the teachers often accuse each other of drinking liquor and of being involved in sexual activities.
The sources added that the teachers indulge in dirty politics, even going so far as to threaten each other’s lives and having the police raid the school to arrest the teachers opposing them. They stated that the students were suffering as a result of these actions.
It is pertinent to mention here that this school is among the oldest institutions for the visually impaired in the city as it was set up in 1958 and is regarded as a reputed institute among the 237 schools for the blind in the province. There are 100 students currently enrolled in the school, including 60 who come from the far flung areas of the province and are residing in the hostel.
It was observed by Pakistan Today that the students were justified in their complaints as their living standards left much to be desired. While talking to Pakistan Today, the students condemned the school administration and the Punjab government for neglecting them. The students stated that voicing their demands made them fearful of punishment from a group of influential blind teachers who operate like a mafia inside the school.
A blind student, seeking anonymity talked about the problems faced by them saying that there were only two washrooms for the 60 students living in the hostel. He said the building is in a state of disrepair and that the lack of fumigation exposed them to mosquitoes and other insects.
Another student said that it was shameful that the Punjab CM never bothered to consider the problems of the oldest school for the blind.
However, the students said they were better off when their former principal Majida Butt was in charge, before she was transferred after the influential teachers’ group exerted their authority.
A student said Principal Majida Butt had taken various steps to upgrade the status of the schools and to remove its issues. Other students stated that their problems were likely to worsen if the former principal was not transferred back to the Sunrise School and demanded her immediate restoration.