Young learners brave dilapidated schools

The plight of government primary schools in Shillai Assembly constituency has come under sharp focus, with villagers raising serious concerns over the dilapidated condition of school buildings at both Koti Utrou and Hakaina villages. The weakening structures have become a grave risk for students and teachers, particularly during the ongoing monsoon season.

At Koti Utrou, the school building has reached such a fragile state that water seeps continuously through the leaking roof during rains, leaving both children and teachers vulnerable. Villagers fear the building could collapse at any time, especially given the rising frequency of heavy rains and landslides in Himachal Pradesh that have already claimed many lives in recent years.

Kamal Sharma, president of the Koti Utrou Yuva Mandal and currently serving as a teacher at Milla School, has drawn the attention of the Education Department, district administration and Shillai’s legislator and minister Harshwardhan Chauhan to this alarming situation. He has urged immediate repair of the roof or construction of a new building, warning that conducting classes in such conditions is not only difficult but also perilous for the children.

Equally concerning is the condition of the primary school at Hakaina village under Drabil panchayat. Despite being a centre of learning for nearly 30 years, its crumbling structure now threatens the safety of the 45 children enrolled there. Of the three additional rooms on the campus, one functions as an anganwadi centre, while the other two double up as classrooms and the teacher’s office. Shockingly, only one teacher is currently posted at the school, raising fresh questions about the quality of education alongside safety risks.

Villagers revealed that orders for repair and dismantling of the Hakaina school building have been pending for the past two years without action. Satpal Sharma, a local resident, said children have repeatedly had to be evacuated from the unsafe building. He warned that if any mishap occurs, responsibility would rest squarely with the Education Department and the state government.