A Government Order On Schools Safety

The loss of seven lives and injuries to at least 27 more in a building collapse at a government school in Rajasthan's Jhalawar district is a tragedy beyond words that was entirely preventable. Safety must be the guiding principle of schooling, starting with the journey to school, the stint within the institution, and the return home. Apparently, officials in Rajasthan and other places have not seen fit to fill glaring gaps in building maintenance, which resulted in the rundown structure collapsing at the Piplodi Government School in Jhalawar, killing children, including a six-year-old. Two other school structures also collapsed elsewhere, but students had a providential escape because one in Nagaur had been closed preventively as it had suffered damage and the second in Karauli had not yet opened for the day. State governments, being the last in line of responsibility regarding public safety, naturally become smarter after the event, and the Rajasthan one is no exception: a check on all public buildings has been mandated by the BJP government, and the Union Ministry of Education has insisted on a safety audit at schools, which includes the condition of student facilities; five officials were suspended to appease the public. What occurred in Piplodi is worst, as students had complained about the roof being damaged by rain, but they were ignored by authorities and teachers despite common sense. It is also shocking that the effect of the monsoon was not expected by district authorities, despite a report by the state government of 2,200 schools being in a bad state and 49,000 requiring repairs to electrical fixtures and water systems.

 

The inattention to quality and safe public education is a worldwide shame for the nation, and it has been ongoing throughout the decades despite the literature that highlights the critical role of schooling not only for economic progress, but also for the improvement and health of individuals. The Centre has been imposing a 4% Health and Education Cess since 2018-19, with the recent annual collection reaching Rs 73,000 crore, most of it spent on primary and middle school programs for the poor. It cannot be said, at the same time, that India boasts world-class economic growth as well as not having enough money to spend on school safety. There are harrowing accounts of school-going students involved in road accidents from across the nation due to lack of transport access. Severe monsoon rain, driven by climate change, is challenging aging public structures and dwellings. To add to this, western India is expected to bear excessive, unpredictable rain as part of this trend, and increased cyclones are emerging in the Arabian Sea compared to the Bay of Bengal. Those factors should ring alarm bells in all the states, and corrective measures in regard to government buildings must be taken after. Secure, universal, and free education is the foundation of a Viksit Bharat in real terms, and authorities should do everything to ensure that within ten years.