Rajasthan: As school where 7 died starts new chapter, many others ‘unsafe’, teachers pitch in

Kheida Ka Pura Govt School in Jhalawar’s Manoharthana tehsil was demolished as its buildings were deemed unsafe and now runs from makeshift structures. (Express photo by Parul Kulshreshtha)

Jagdish Meena, one of the two teachers, says that after the July incident, the district administration demolished a majority of the school buildings or classrooms deemed to be in a dilapidated condition. They proposed that the Kheiadi Ka Pura Government School, which is up to Class 5, move to a building 5 km away.

However, Jagdish says, that would be too long a distance for the primary class children they teach. So he and the other teacher, Sanwariya Meena, decided to pitch in to create a temporary space where classes could go on from the same premises.

“It was difficult in the rainy season. But we were able to raise two temporary rooms and have written to the head office for a pucca structure,” says Sanwariya.

Remains of Piplodi school, where students died last year. (Express photo by Parul Kulshreshtha)

The story is the same across several villages in the district, with Jhalawar Collector Ajay Rathore admitting that teachers have paid out of their pockets to help classes continue at the demolished buildings. “We received financial approval for the development of 20 schools which were either demolished or where rooms were locked after being found ‘unsafe’. The construction of those schools will begin soon. Until then, these schools are functioning in temporary classrooms.”

The Piplodi school building is expected to be completed by August, Rathore adds.

While villagers have also contributed with repairs, authorities say they are not able to give much in this poor tribal area. Some schools where money has been hard to come by are operating from tents, while others have rented space in village homes.

Construction of new school has started, and on Wednesday, victims’ families laid down the first brick. (Express photo by Parul Kulshreshtha)

Teachers at Government Upper Primary School, located in Handotiya Lodhan of the same tehsil as Kheiadi Ka Pura, estimate they have collected around Rs 10 lakh in the last five years for repairs at the school.

Headmaster Ram Singh Meena shows a room undergoing construction on the premises. “We repaired the roofs of three rooms in 2024, as well as the school gate, toilets, and now this room. Three other rooms were locked after the Piplodi incident as they are not safe. We have 318 students, if we had not repaired the other rooms, how would we have managed?” Ram Singh says.

One of the teachers at the school, Mahesh Chand Meena, says the parents have tried to help as much as they could, but the government needs to come through with the money. “Most of the houses here are kuchcha and most don’t even have toilets. The people barely make a living. How long are we going to help?” he says.

Narayan Sisodia, a member of the Rajasthan Teachers’ Union, says the situation is no different in other districts, and that teachers contribute as they can’t see their students suffer. “The government needs to really pull up its sleeves.”

Raghuraj Hada, the former Congress Jhalawar district president, says a majority of the government schools of the district are in urgent need of repair or construction. “Even within Jhalawar city, many government schools are in a dilapidated condition. Many times, teachers and villagers collect money to repair the schools. The government sending funds sometimes, is not enough. This is a serious issue.”

Mor Singh, the man who has given his house for the school after the incident at Piplodi village. (Express photo by Parul Kulshreshtha)

At Piplodi, to mark the start of the construction of the new school building Wednesday, all the families of the children who died or were injured in the July incident were invited to place the first few bricks.

The new building is being constructed on a 10-bigha plot around 1.5 km away from the village.

With parents scared of sending their children to the old school, classes are currently being held from the house of villager Mor Singh, 60. Singh says he was happy to give the space, which means he and his family have moved to a thatched-roof shelter on their farm.

“It was difficult in the rains and in the peak December winter. But my children are adults, and I thought, ‘What is the point if we won’t help our own children?’,” he says.

At his home, which has a verandah and a chowk, around 124 students across Classes I to VIII are taught in two rooms by about five teachers. The space is congested, the teachers admit, but they are managing.

Makeshift classrooms at Kheiadi Ka Pura Government School, at Manoharthana tehsil in Jhalawar district. (Express photo by Parul Kulshreshtha)

Says Naresh Meena, one of the teachers: “After the accident, the villagers were reluctant to send their children to school. We went to each house, requesting them. We also went house to house for some time, to teach students and give them homework, before parents agreed to send them back.”

The teachers add that a lot of students, however, remain too traumatised, with many breaking down at loud sounds. Many of them couldn’t control their tears at the recent Republic Day celebrations remembering their friends.

At the old building, amid the debris, only two locked rooms stand. The government had promised a memorial for the children who died, but no decision has been taken on that yet.

Some parents are trying to move on in other ways. Two families have decided to reverse tubectomies to have children again, among them Chotulal Rehda’s. A relative, Laxmi Rehda, says Chotulal lost both his children and has been bedridden due to illness. “His wife is not yet pregnant, but they are hopeful.”