TOBA TEK SINGH: A primary school established 94 years ago some 9km from Toba has finally started functioning as a middle school.

Financial grant for construction of the building of middle section of this school built after demolishing a temple in 1922 in Chak 349-GB was allocated by MNA Junaid Anwaar Chaudhry. The MNA inaugurated the new building on Monday; a number of elderly villagers were also present on the occasion.

They told reporters that the school had been initially built on two and half marlas owned by the temple. They said the old and new buildings now covered an acre out of which the two and a half marlas were still in the name of the temple under revenue records.

Some of the villagers said they had studied in this school before Partition but there was no elected representative who could fulfil his promise of upgrading this school to middle level. They added that government primary schools for boys in the villages of Chak 346-GB and 350-GB -- both located 3km from this village and established after Partition – had been upgraded to matriculation level.

The MNA told reporters that Rs8.4 million had been spent from his grant on the completion of the building for middle section of the school.

The Toba campus of University of Agriculture Faisalabad had been set up on 100 acres of state land in the same village but this primary school was being upgraded after 94 years.

Published in Dawn, October 26th, 2016