No teachers, crumbling walls: Alwar school locked by students and villagers

Students and villagers locked the government higher secondary school in Jodhwas after a roof slab collapsed and complaints over staff shortages mounted. The protest put focus on unsafe buildings, too few classrooms and long-pending teacher vacancies.

In Short

• The protest ran from morning till evening after Wednesday's roof slab collapse
• Villagers said no students were inside when the damaged roof gave way
• Five sanctioned senior teacher posts are vacant, protesters told education officials

Students and villagers on Thursday locked the government higher secondary school in Jodhwas, Alwar district, Rajasthan, protesting against the poor condition of the school buildings and a shortage of teachers, officials said.

The protest began around 7 am and continued until 6 pm, according to education department officials. The agitation followed an incident on Wednesday when a roof slab in one of the school buildings collapsed. No students were present at the time, villagers said.

The protesters said five of the six sanctioned senior teacher posts at the school are vacant. They also claimed that two school buildings have already been declared unsafe but are yet to be demolished.

174 STUDENTS, ONLY THREE CLASSROOMS

The condition of the school has raised concerns among students and villagers, particularly over the availability of classrooms. They said 174 students are enrolled at the school, but there are only three classrooms available for them.

The protesters also complained that water leaks through the classroom roofs during the monsoon, further worsening the condition of the school premises.

Villagers said four years have passed since the school was upgraded to the higher secondary level, but lecturer posts have still not been sanctioned.

OFFICIALS HOLD TALKS WITH PROTESTERS

Additional Chief Block Education Officer Gaurav Addania and Chief Block Education Officer Shakuntala Yadav reached the school and tried to persuade the protesters to call off the agitation. However, the students and villagers remained firm on their demands.

Chief District Education Officer Mahesh Gupta and Additional District Education Officer Gajraj also reached the spot and held discussions with the protesters.

Gupta said seven teachers had been temporarily posted at the school to address the staff shortage. He added that a proposal regarding the school building had been sent to the Additional District Project Coordinator, Samagra Shiksha.

The students and villagers have demanded the immediate demolition of the dilapidated buildings and the filling of vacant teacher posts.

- Ends