Even as the Punjab Government continues to promote its Sikhya Kranti campaign aimed at strengthening government schools, Government Primary School, Gujjarwal Bet, presented a contrasting picture on Saturday, with students spending the entire school day without classroom teaching after the school’s only teacher was away on election-related duty.The school, which has an enrolment of 27 students, has been functioning with just one teacher for nearly a decade, according to local sources. On Saturday, the teacher was reportedly engaged in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise after her Booth Level Officer (BLO) duty was extended by three days, leaving the school without any teaching staff.During a visit to the school, students were present on the campus, but no classes were being conducted. The children remained under the supervision of the mid-day meal worker until the school closed.The mid-day meal worker said she was the only adult present at the school. “No teacher came to the school today, and I was looking after the children. Parents also questioned why there was no teacher despite the school being open. It becomes difficult to manage the students alone,” she said.Some students claimed that Saturday was not the first occasion when teaching was affected. They alleged that on several occasions, classes had started late because the teacher reached the school around noon.The school is also facing infrastructure problems. During the visit, it was observed that the classroom roof had developed major cracks and rainwater leaked through parts of it during the monsoon, raising concerns about the safety of students. Parents urged the authorities to repair the building and provide additional teaching staff.When contacted, teacher Gurdarshan Rani said she had been performing BLO-related duties for the past several months. “I have been appointed as a BLO and was engaged in SIR work. Usually, I attend the school, but I had official work related to the SIR exercise, due to which I could not remain present today,” she said.Deputy District Education Officer Manoj Kumar said teachers had originally been assigned election-related duties till July 31, but the assignment had been extended by three more days. “The teacher did not communicate the situation to the department, because of which no alternative arrangement could be made. We will ensure that such a situation does not arise in future,” he said.Parents said the incident had once again highlighted the difficulties faced by single-teacher government schools. They urged the Education Department to immediately appoint additional teachers and repair the school building so that students do not suffer due to staff shortages or unsafe infrastructure.