Days after a tragic roof collapse at a government school in Jhalawar claimed the lives of seven children, a report by the Rajasthan Education Department has revealed that an alarming number of 2,710 school buildings across the state require major repairs. However, over Rs 254 crore allocated for this purpose is pending approval from the Finance Department.
According to the report accessed by PTI, 710 school buildings were identified for urgent repairs in the 2024–25 financial year, with Rs 79.24 crore earmarked for renovation. In the ongoing financial year, an additional 2,000 unsafe school buildings have been flagged, and Rs 174.97 crore was allocated for their repairs.
A significant portion of these funds has not yet been sanctioned, raising concerns over bureaucratic delays and budget implementation.
Jhalawar tragedy and alleged evidence tampering
The urgency of the situation was tragically highlighted when a portion of the roof at Government Upper Primary School in Piplodi village, Jhalawar, collapsed during morning prayers on Friday, killing seven children and injuring 28 others. The education department's report also revealed that 83 buildings in Jhalawar alone had been listed for repairs under the 2024-25 and 2025-26 assessments.
Following the incident, the local administration swiftly dismantled the collapsed structure, a move that has drawn sharp criticism. Congress leader Pramod Jain Bhaya accused the district administration of attempting to destroy evidence. “The way the Jhalawar administration rushed to dismantle the structure raises serious questions. It looks like an attempt to erase evidence,” Bhaya said.
Repeated warnings, delayed action
Incidents of wall and roof collapses have been reported from several other districts with aging infrastructure. Senior BJP leader and MLA Pratap Singh Singhvi, who represents the affected region, slammed the bureaucratic apathy that has stalled critical repair work.
“Most officers simply write ‘discussion ongoing’ on files. That’s how proposals get stuck. This is unacceptable,” Singhvi told reporters. He emphasised that timely clearance of files is crucial, and blamed the Finance Department for lacking urgency. Singhvi added that he had written to Education Minister Madan Dilawar on July 16 regarding the poor state of school infrastructure but had received no response.
