RANCHI: All 21 students enrolled with the Primary Government School at Haldibera village under Bano block of Simdega in Jharkhand are forced to attend classes in a makeshift shelter built by villagers as the existing school building has become unsafe.
According to locals, the roof may collapse anytime, putting the lives of children at risk.
Villagers said that the school structure is in a severely dilapidated condition, prompting the villagers to construct a makeshift classroom using tree branches, leaves, thatch and tarpaulins.
"Classes are now being held under this improvised shelter," they said.
Despite the villagers repeatedly submitting written representations to the Education Department, seeking the construction of a new school building, no action was taken.
Unwilling to let the children's education come to a halt, they built the temporary classroom through ‘shramdaan’ (voluntary labour).
“Reinforcing rods are bulging from the roof, and wide cracks have appeared in the walls, creating a risk of a major accident at any time. The situation worsens during the rainy season,” said a villager, Sitaram Bhuiyan.
"Who would be held responsible if any accident occurred due to the dilapidated state of the building?" he questioned.
Another villager informed that since the government did not pay any heed to their requests, they decided to make an alternative arrangement so that the education of the students would not be affected due to the government's apathy.
“Therefore, it was decided to make a makeshift arrangement for the children through ‘shramdaan ’. A shed was made using tree branches, leaves, thatch and tarpaulins,” said Phool Kishore Bhuiyan.
"A new building should be constructed promptly, keeping both the children's safety and their education in mind," he demanded.
According to Phool Kishore Bhuiyan, this is not merely a matter of a building, but a question of children's secure future and better education.
Confirming the poor condition of the school building, the District Superintendent of Education (DSE) said he visited the school after learning that classes were being conducted in the makeshift structure.
“I had gone there on Thursday and directed the teacher there to shift classes to the school's kitchen building until a new school building is constructed,” said DSE Deepak Ram.
"Meanwhile, a proposal for the construction of a new school building has been prepared and will be forwarded to the department for approval very soon," he added.
The DSE also admitted that there is seepage of water from the walls and that cracks have developed on the roofs.