Risking lives: Patiala tops the list of govt schools in Punjab sans outer boundary walls
At least 324 government schools in Punjab do not have outer boundary walls and are putting students’ lives at risk
The director general school education (DGSE) has ordered all deputy commissioners in state to ensure construction of outer boundary walls at government schools in their respective districts.

As per data, there are at least 324 government schools in Punjab that do not have any outer boundary wall. Patiala, which is the home bastion of chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh, tops the list with 54 schools sans boundary walls.
This plight of government schools has come to fore after advocate HC Arora filed a petition with the Punjab State Commission for Protection of Child Rights.
In his complaint, Arora said that such schools are posing threat to students’ lives. These schools are prone to sudden intrusion of stray animals, who may attack kids, he said.
He filed talked about such state of 22 schools in state. However, during hearing of the petition, the state education department admitted that around 324 government schools are functioning without boundary walls.
According to the reply to the commission by the schools education department, 54 schools in Patiala, 34 in Rupnagar, 29 in Fazilka, 28 in Gurdaspur, 24 in Tarn Taran, 22 each in Amritsar and Mohali, 17 in Hoshiarpur, 13 in Ludhiana, 11 each in Pathankot and Sangrur, nine each in Jalandhar and Bathinda, eight in Ferozepur, seven each in Kapurthala, Faridkot and Muktsar, five in Mansa, four in SBS Nagar, two in Moga, and one in Barnala do not have boundary walls.
Fatehgarh Sahib was found to be the only district that does not have any school without boundary walls.

DGSE (Punjab) Mohammad Tayyab, in his orders, has directed the deputy commissioners of all districts to construct boundary walls at such schools. He said that it can be done using the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MNREGA) funds.
State education minister Vijay Inder Singla said, “Efforts are being done by the Punjab government to provide and improve basic infrastructure at government schools. Not only the boundary walls, we are also constructing rooms at schools, which were unsafe earlier.”