Girls From Punjab Villages Dropping Out Due To Far-Away Schools: High Court Seeks Fresh Affidavit From State Govt On Girls Schools

The Punjab & Haryana High Court sought fresh Affidavit from the Punjab Government on suo moto cognizance of village girl students dropping out of schools due to non-availability of schools and infrastructure along Punjab's Patiala-Rajpura Highway.

Chief Justice Sheel Nagu and Justice Sumeet Goel said, "Reply filed by the State of Punjab essentially pertains to co-ed schools, but this Court while taking cognizance in the matter on 25.07.2024 was essentially disturbed by a news item where there was no High School or Higher Secondary School, especially for girls, as a result of which lot many drop out from their schools."

Consequently, the Court asked the Punjab Government to file s fresh affidavit.

The Court has previously the Punjab State counsel, "to file their policy on establishment of Higher Secondary Schools and as to why there is no Higher Secondary School for girls between Patiala and Rajpura."

According to the newspaper report, due to unsafe travel conditions and lack of affordable transport many girls from over 10 villages located along the Patiala-Rajpura highway have given up on the education.

"The poor condition of the roads and the high cost of private transportation pose significant challenges to students. A majority of them, be it boys or girls, have to walk 3 km on the broken road before they reach the highway and get transport to their schools. Most residents in these villages are small-scale farmers and farm labourers who rely on government schools for the education of their children," stated the report.

The matter is now listed for April 07 for further consideration.

Mr. Salil Sabhlok, Senior Deputy Advocate General, Punjab.

Title: Court on its own motion v. State of Punjab through its Chief Secretary

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