Darbhanga, Bihar: A government primary school in Darbhanga’s Alinagar block has raised serious concerns over the safety of its students after a pillar of the ageing school building collapsed and benches, desks and bricks were placed underneath the roof as a makeshift support.
At Kiratpur Primary School, around 191 students are enrolled in Classes I to V. The school building, constructed in 1983 under the Centre’s Operation Blackboard programme, is reportedly in a dilapidated condition, with leaking roofs, damaged beams and pillars, fallen plaster and exposed reinforcement bars.
According to school authorities, the pillar collapsed around three to four months ago. Instead of replacing it with a concrete support, benches, desks and bricks were positioned beneath the roof to bear its load. Teachers and villagers have expressed concern that the temporary arrangement does not eliminate the risk.
The school has only two rooms, despite having 191 students. With the building considered unsafe, teaching is currently being conducted in open areas and a kitchen shed. One of the rooms is also occupied by office furniture, further reducing the space available for classes.
Teachers said the education department and other officials have been informed several times about the condition of the building. Villagers have also staged protests, demanding immediate repairs or construction of a new school building.
Darbhanga District Education Officer Vidyanand Thakur said the existing structure has been declared unsafe and that no classes are being conducted under the affected portion. He said an estimate for a new six-room school building has already been submitted and the new structure is proposed to be constructed through the Bihar School Infrastructure Development Corporation.
The school has also been included under the state government’s Seva Sankalp Evam Kayakalp Abhiyan, aimed at improving infrastructure in government schools.
The condition of the school has nevertheless raised questions over how children and teachers are expected to study and work around a structure that requires desks and bricks to support part of its roof.
