Over 500 Mathura school students forced out by floods; struggle with online classes

AGRA: For over a month, continuous waterlogging has disrupted life at Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya in Mathura's Paigaon area, forcing nearly 500 students to vacate their hostels and return home.

With classrooms shut, the students are now dependent on online classes, which many say do not offer a seamless learning experience, affecting their studies.A senior teacher told TOI that despite repeated complaints to the administration, no relief has been provided. "The campus remains waterlogged, making it impossible to hold physical classes. Students had no option but to leave," the teacher said. Mathura has recorded unusually high rainfall this monsoon, causing the Yamuna to swell and inundate several localities, including the Navodaya campus. The disruption has left students anxious, especially those who have to give board examinations. A class 12 science student said, "I am struggling with subjects like Physics and Maths. Poor internet and frequent power cuts during the rainy season make online classes harder. There are no remedial or doubt-solving sessions. At home, we also manage household chores, which leaves little time for self-study. With board exams just a few months away, we want the administration to resolve this issue quickly.

" Local social worker Krishna Rajput added,"For almost 35 days now, Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya campus has been waterlogged, yet the principal has failed to act. Such apathy jeopardises children's health and education. Accountability is imperative to prevent such situations." School principal Biram Singh, when contacted, defended decision to send students home. "Since it is a residential school, children were asked to leave for safety reasons.

Online classes have been conducted since Aug 11. We have deployed motors to drain water into nearby waterbody, but heavy rains have worsened the problem."