Rajasthan: How a Government School’s Cracking Roof Only Got Action After It Fell on Three Girl Students

Banswara- In the TSP area of Rajasthan, where poor tribal students have no options other than government schools, the classrooms are supposed to be sanctuaries of learning. But for months, the government senior secondary school at Banswara's Amarthoon was a death trap. Despite repeated surveys and safety reports over 13 months, the cracked, plaster-peeling roof of a science classroom was left to crumble, until it collapsed on three Class 11 girls.

Only then, when the ceiling had already fallen on three girls, did the officials who had ignored every repair request begin their frantic race to the site. This is the story of how a system that failed to act on paper finally snapped into action only after plaster hit the floor.

In the Government Senior Secondary School at Amarthoon, a village under the Ghatol sub-division of Banswara district, Rajasthan, repeated complaints about the dilapidated condition of the school building were ignored for months. Despite numerous memorandums, petitions, surveys, and official notifications sent to higher authorities, no budget was allocated for repairs. The situation took a serious turn when three Class 11 science students Puja, Kali Kumari and Sharada Kumari, all residents of Chadla village, were injured after a portion of the ceiling plaster collapsed on them.

Following the incident, the school principal, Arun Vyas, informed senior officials. This triggered an immediate and frantic rush among the authorities, a stark contrast to their inaction over the previous 13 months. While surveys, reports, investigations, and building safety assessments had been routinely conducted and circulated on paper, not a single rupee was sanctioned for repairs. The official machinery remained engaged only in the endless shuffling of files.

The education department, as Principal Vyas and the Amarthoon staff pointed out, neither laid a single brick for repair nor sanctioned any new classrooms in the school.

The staff’s alertness and timely response averted a major tragedy. However, due to the worsening condition of the building, children were already being made to sit under a temporary tin shed as an alternative arrangement. Two years ago, the Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) department had carried out maintenance work at the school costing ₹10.65 lakh, and proposals worth ₹76 lakh and ₹2 crore had been sent to the SSA office in Jaipur. Ironically, the ceiling of the room where the accident occurred had recently undergone plastering (China mosaic) and repair work by the SSA department.

After the incident, the Chief District Education Officer (CDEO), Pawan Kumar Rawal, summoned technical officials to the spot at Amarthoon. He issued on-site directives to prepare and submit proposals for the immediate repair of the dilapidated building, the construction of ten new classrooms, and the construction of five new laboratories. Additionally, Principal Arun Vyas and the entire staff were instructed to submit a proposal for running the school in two shifts. They were also ordered to barricade the hazardous premises, put up "No Entry" boards, and ensure the safety of children, villagers, public representatives, and parents.

The administrative machinery swung into action. The Sub-Divisional Officer (SDO) of Ghatol, Mansukhlal Damor; Tehsildar Habu Lal; along with officials from the revenue department including Girdawar and Patwari; District Education Officer Jaideep Purohit; Lokesh Shukla; CBSEO Keshav Chandra Bamania; and ACBEO Vikram Singh Chandravat – all were seen rushing to the site. Senior officials personally visited the homes of the injured girls to inquire about their health and directed that they receive treatment at the Senawasa hospital.

In a thorough inspection, officials, including SDO Damor and CDEO Rawal, even climbed onto the roof using ladders despite apparent hesitation to assess the ground reality. They also issued instructions to clean the accumulated filth and debris from the roof.