Rains expose ‘unsafe’ school buildings

The recent incident where school students had to be shifted to a nearby gurdwara due to the run-down condition of the building at Government Primary Smart School, Subhash Colony, Lakha Singh Plot, Sultanwind, is yet another example of how the ground reality differs starkly from the promises made by the government, particularly in the education sector.

The issue garnered immediate attention when Member of Parliament Gurjeet Singh Aujla visited the site and announced Rs 20 lakh from his MP Local Area Development (LAD) funds for the school’s repair. However, the repair work will take some time due to procedural formalities.

A portion of the school’s roof was crumbling, with visible signs of seepage and leakage. Notably, tiles had recently been laid on the floor using grants received under the Sikhiya Kranti Mission. Why those funds were not directed toward the urgent repair of the roof remains difficult to understand.

Numerous reports have highlighted the unsafe conditions of government school buildings in the city, with some declared structurally unsound, while others show serious damage like water seepage, termite infestation and collapsed ceilings. Despite these risks, students are often compelled to attend classes in these unsafe buildings, sometimes due to the absence of alternative facilities or delays in implementing relocation plans. In several cases, schools have resorted to double shifts to cope with the hazardous conditions, further impacting the learning environment.

“This particular school building was declared unsafe by our team a few days ago, and the school report was submitted to the PWD. There is a delay on their part in issuing a certificate to the authorities concerned, after which the building is either pulled down or repaired,” said Shivani, a Junior Engineer (JE) with the district Education Department. She added that approximately 12-15 school buildings in Amritsar, out of a total of 1,245, are categorised as ‘unsafe’ and require major repairs.

These unsafe buildings are mainly located in the walled city and peripheral areas, including localities like Kot Mit Singh, Khalsa Nagar and Subhash Colony. Although the PWD has declared some of these buildings unsafe, affecting roughly 50-600 students, many are still awaiting reconstruction or

significant repair.

District Education Officer (DEO) Kanwaljeet Singh said without the PWD’s verification officially designating a school building as unsafe, repair or reconstruction work cannot begin. “We keep track of school buildings requiring surface and structural repairs. Structural repairs fall under the major repair category and need large grants. This particular building was constructed in 1992, and while the school management had requested grants, the damage was not initially identified as major. Also, our teams inspect school buildings before the onset of monsoon and maintain data on unsafe structures. We make alternative or makeshift arrangements for running classes to ensure students are not affected, but these processes take time," he said.

While students in this specific school in Subhash Colony were not allowed to attend classes inside the building, the situation once again exposes the vulnerabilities of a system plagued by administrative delays, procedural bottlenecks and a lack of accountability. The result: a disaster waiting to happen.

Amritsar