THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The tiled roof of a school building in the state capital collapsed on Monday, the day schools reopened for the new academic year, after the deteriorated wooden framework supporting it gave way. A major tragedy was averted as the incident occurred after school hours.
The damaged building at the Government Central High School, Attakulangara, was being used as the office of Samagra Shiksha Kerala (SSK). However, all staff had left the premises for the day when the roof collapsed around 5.30 pm. General Education Minister N Samsudheen has sought a report on the incident from the deputy director of education (DDE), Thiruvananthapuram.
“The building is not used as a classroom. It was modified and used as SSK office. The officials said that since it is a heritage building, permission could not be obtained for renovation of its roof. However, the remaining portion was refurbished recently,” Samsudheen said.
Terming the incident as a major lapse, the minister said the DDE would inquire if the building possessed the mandatory fitness certificate and fulfilled other conditions for functioning.
Last month, the government had prepared district-level plans to expedite inspections and issuance of no-objection certificates (NOCs) to schools on the fitness of their buildings before the school reopening on June 1.
Meanwhile, former General Education Minister V Sivankutty demanded a comprehensive inquiry into the incident.
“Since it concerns the safety of students, safety checks should be conducted multiple times. The general education department should ensure that guidelines on school safety are strictly complied with,” he said.
According to an official, a significant portion of the wooden framework supporting the tiled roof had decayed, possibly due to prolonged water seepage. As the remaining portion of the structure is also considered unsafe, authorities have restricted entry.