Govt teachers rely on donations for fans, coolers amid funding shortages
RAWALPINDI:
As temperatures soar across the region, government schools in Rawalpindi’s rural areas are grappling with a severe shortage of funds, forcing teachers to turn to local philanthropists, shopkeepers, and residents for help in providing relief from the heat.
According to sources in the Education Department, many government schools in the district’s rural tehsils lack functional fans either they are completely missing or no longer working. With no official funds available to replace or repair them, teachers have started collecting donations to install ceiling fans in classrooms.
Faced with stifling conditions, students were drenched in sweat during school hours.
In response, teachers sought permission from senior education officials to solicit community support, which has resulted in donations of fans and cold water coolers for several schools.
In a recent example from the Government Primary School in Meera Singal, Tehsil Kahuta, local donors helped install one to two fans in every primary classroom.
They also provided the necessary wiring for the installations. The school’s principal expressed gratitude for the community’s support.
Similar contributions have been reported in other tehsils, including Kahuta, Kallar Syedan, and Gujar Khan, where shopkeepers and residents are stepping in to donate electric fans and cool water coolers as gifts to the schools.
Representatives from the Punjab Teachers Union and the SMST Teachers Association confirmed the efforts, stating that all school heads have been granted permission to accept such donations with gratitude.
They emphasised that the lengthy bureaucratic process required to obtain government approval and funding for even a single fan could outlast the entire summer season.
Article published in the Express Tribune on 15th April 2025
