Roorewal’s smart school faces brunt of official apathy

In Roorewal village’s Government Primary Smart School, education perseveres against adversity—inside an old building, which is structurally weak, and surrounded by the lurking danger of snakes.

On a humid July afternoon, a few children, most of them belonging to families of migrant labourers, sit quietly in a classroom with damp floors. The head-teacher here is on a leave. Since the regular in-charge of the school is on a long medical leave, the department has arranged for another teacher from a nearby area to fill in.

The children are loosely supervised by an Anganwadi worker at times. The worker, pointing towards the broken ceiling, said, “Last month, a ceiling fan fell and miraculously, no one was hurt.”

The school, surrounded by wild overgrowth and weed, faces a dual threat —deteriorating infrastructure and frequent snake sightings. The Aanganwadi worker, however, said parts of the building were declared unsafe, but nothing had been done to shift classes elsewhere or repair the structure.

“We see snakes almost daily during rains,” said the lone mid-day meal worker, adding, “Thankfully, there has been no incident yet, but it's only a matter of time.”

The school’s 12 to 15 students attend classes in a structure many fear could collapse any moment. The village sarpanch has reportedly promised to raise the matter with the Education Department, but little progress is visible on the ground.

District Education Officer (DEO) Elementary Ravinder Kaur said she was informed about the “unsafe” part of the building three days ago. The DEO said she would visit the school to ascertain the facts for herself. She said block level teachers had been asked to visit schools to check safety of the buildings so that experts from the PWD could be sent and repairs initiated.

Unfortunately, the relocation of classes to another premises seems to have taken a back seat because the authorities concerned seemed to have turned a blind eye towards the plight of the children.

District Education Officer (Secondary) Dimple Madan said all principals had standing instructions to report unsafe conditions in schools immediately. “Funds are released promptly either for repairs or shifting,” she asserted. “If principals fail to act, they will be held accountable,” she said.