Raj edu dept seeks report on dilapidated school buildings in 15 days

Jaipur: The state education department has again sought a report on school infrastructure and dilapidated buildings needing urgent repairs from district education officers, to be submitted within 15 days.

All chief district education officers have been instructed to compile a consolidated list with details of all repair proposals received from school buildings and offices within their jurisdiction.

“Proposals for schools requiring extensive repairs should be prioritised, consolidated separately and submitted first. Any repair proposals submitted directly to the directorate by individual schools will not be considered under any circumstances,” states an official order issued on May 14.

Sources said that the proposals were sought after additional chief secretary Rajesh Yadav conducted a review meeting in Bikaner last week. “In the meeting, the ACS asked officials if they themselves had visited schools to inspect and check the actual condition. After the meeting, this new round of inspection has been ordered,” said an official from the education department.

The department has ordered school principals to conduct inspections twice a week in schools where construction work is underway.

An order issued by the Rajasthan Council of School Education (RCSE) states that construction works are being executed in various govt schools and the heads of these institutions “play a pivotal role in various processes”, including issuing work orders, entering into agreements with contractors, issuing notices to contractors, ensuring timely and high-quality execution of works, and processing payments.

While heads of institutions will be entitled to earned leave for days when they have to go for inspection, teachers have opposed the decision. “Given that the RCSE already has enough civil engineers to oversee construction activities, assigning monitoring duties to principals in such a context is unjust. This arrangement of giving earned leave will impose a financial burden on the govt. Teachers lack expertise in construction matters, and with such orders, they are compelled to visit schools during this scorching heat. Such an order must be reconsidered,” said Vipin Prakash Sharma, state president of Rajasthan Primary and Secondary Teachers’ Association.

GFX- Details must for school repair proposal

-Eligible schools: Govt schools operating under the Department of Secondary Education only

-Must include:

School name

Proposed repair work (scope/details)

Estimated cost (as suggested/recommended by a technical officer)

Inventory listing: PWD inventory or Departmental inventory

Ownership status: Government-owned or rented

Year of inclusion in inventory (state/PWD or departmental, as applicable)

Location category: Urban or rural