Dilapidated Zilla Parishad School Classroom Collapses In Beed

Beed: A major tragedy was averted after the wall and roof of a dilapidated classroom at the Zilla Parishad Secondary School in Therla village of Patoda tehsil collapsed around midnight on Thursday. Fortunately, the school was closed at the time, preventing any loss of life. The incident has once again highlighted the alarming condition of government school infrastructure and raised serious questions over administrative negligence.

Social activist Dr Ganesh Dhavale has demanded an immediate structural audit of the school building and the allocation of funds for constructing new classrooms through the District Annual Plan. In a written representation, he appealed to Guardian Minister Sunetra Pawar, Zilla Parishad Chief Executive Officer Jithin Reghunath and Primary Education Officer Jayashree Chavan to take urgent action.

The Zilla Parishad school, which provides education up to Class 10, has around 230 students. Built in 1965, five of its classrooms have become structurally unsafe. The headmaster and the School Management Committee had repeatedly urged the authorities to repair or reconstruct the ageing building, but no action was taken.

Although the construction of five new classrooms has begun, the project remains incomplete, forcing students to continue attending classes in the old and unsafe structure. With the monsoon increasing the risk, one of the classrooms eventually collapsed on Thursday night. Since the school was closed, a potentially fatal accident was avoided.

Headmaster Pratap Kale said the school administration had repeatedly informed the authorities about the deteriorating condition of the building and had sought repairs well before the onset of the monsoon.

"Despite repeated requests, no repairs were carried out during the summer. Following the collapse, students from the affected classroom have been shifted to the under-construction building. However, the temporary arrangement lacks blackboards, seating facilities and other basic amenities, affecting classroom teaching. The Education Department has also been informed," he said.

Expressing anguish over the incident, School Management Committee Chairman Ganesh Rakh alleged that official apathy had put students' lives at risk.

"This school was built through public donations and was inaugurated by Rashtrasant Bhagwan Baba during his stay in the village. Today, the same school has fallen into disrepair. Parents have repeatedly approached the Education Department, but the administration has ignored our appeals. Will the authorities wake up only after innocent children lose their lives?" he asked while demanding immediate funds for the construction of a new school building.