PESHAWAR, Jan 10: The Government Girls High School No.1, situated in the busy Saddar bazaar in an old shabby building, is functioning without necessary facilities.

A visit to the school revealed that not only the classrooms were crammed with students, but the school also lacked science laboratories and other necessary facilities.

"The biggest problem is the building itself which was built before 1933 and now is in a rundown condition. Moreover, there are only seven classrooms which are not enough to accommodate 750 students presently enrolled with the school, while the number of students is also increasing constantly," said Anwar Sultana, the Principal of the school.

"From 6th grade to 10th grade the students strength is around 70 to 80 per class, and because of smallness of classrooms students are forced to sit on floors. In some rooms even rugs are not big enough to accommodate all students," Miss Shehnaz, a senior teacher, said.

The building is not appropriate for a school having a strength of 750 students because rooms are few and not spacious enough to accommodate all the students.

"Classrooms are small and crowded with no means of cross ventilation, while the lighting system is also improper," Miss Shehnaz said and added that since students were forced to sit on floor in a disorganized manner, it gave a bad look to any visitor.

"Some of the classes are also held in the galleries because of lack of rooms. The education department could provide us desks and chairs but the rooms are so small that we could not accommodate all the seats that are required for the students. We need a bigger building with all the facilities for our school," Anwar Sultana, the Principal, said.

The school has only one washroom which is used by all the students.

"There is only one sweeper to clean classrooms and toilet," Miss Shehnaz stated.

"The toilet has become more dirtier as the sweeper has gone on a week-long leave and now there is no one to clean the place," she added.

The school also did not have the clean drinking water facility. "Most of the teachers bring their own water bottles, but almost all the students consume tap water which is highly unhygienic as the water storage tank has not been cleaned for the past several years," Miss Shehnaz deplored.

The students woes do not end here. The school is also devoid of playground, which has prompted the teachers to make alternate arrangements for the students to participate in the tournaments either at the Qayyum Sports Complex or the F.G. Girls High School's playground which is situated in front of this school.