Jaipur: The education department released two sets of guidelines for school repairs ahead of the monsoon season, focusing on buildings in poor condition across the state. However, this particular school was not included in the list of structures needing renovation. The most recent directive came from the state’s secretary for school education on July 14. Until Friday evening, the education department did not release any data on how many schools across the state were identified as dilapidated.On Friday morning, while speaking to the media in Bharatpur, education minister Madan Dilawar said that thousands of school buildings in the state need repair and maintenance, and Rs 200 crore has been issued by the department for the phase-wise upkeep of school buildings. In the evening, after meeting injured students, Dilawar, while speaking to the media, said that funds have been issued by the department for the maintenance of 2,000 schools across the state in a phase-wise manner. Expressing displeasure over action on teachers, the teachers’ association in the state said that teachers were not found under that roof, and they were safe, so they were suspended. If they were under the roof, the same accident would have happened to them too, then their negligence would not have been seen.Vipin Prakash Sharma, state president of the Rajasthan Primary and Secondary Teachers Association, said, “The teachers’ union expresses deep sorrow for the heartbreaking incident that happened today (Friday); its compensation is impossible. It is very important to go to the root of the problem. The work of building construction is done by Samagra Shiksha, which is also responsible for the maintenance of the building. Their work is not only to construct; it is also very important that they inspect the schools for quality.”Following these developments, teachers’ organisations reported on Friday that numerous schools are now submitting letters to officials, declaring their buildings unsafe for use. They said that the role of teacher is to teach and even when principals give suggestions they are usually ignored. Teachers said that suspending teachers without any investigation is one-sided action. The Rajasthan Shikshak Sangh (Ekikrit) has written to the chief minister and education minister that all school buildings in the state which are over 50 years old must be shifted to new buildings, and those over 30 years old should be immediately repaired. “The school building was old, due to which it collapsed, and such a big incident happened. Now in future, such an incident should not be repeated in other schools of the state, so it is necessary that a new building should be constructed. There should also be strict monitoring that funds issued for the repair and maintenance of school buildings are used for the same purpose,” said Ranjeet Meena, state president of Rajasthan Shikshak Sangh (Ekikrit).
