Classroom Ceiling Collapsed, 7 Children Dead: Rajasthan High Court Takes Suo Motu Cognizance On Infrastructural Issues In Schools

The Rajasthan High Court has taken suo-motu cognizance of a news report on the death of 7 children and injuries being suffered by many others, on account of collapse of ceiling and wall of a class room in a Government School in Rajasthan.Opining the event as “nerve shocking, heart breaking and society rocking”, the bench of Justice Anoop Kumar Dhand observed that a safe and secure environment was a pre-requisite for effective teaching and learning.“Non-availability of schools in many villages across the State is a silent crisis that undermines the right to education for hundred or thousands of children. Strengthening physical access to schools must remain a policy prioritizing to ensure that every child, regardless of geography or gender, has the opportunity to receive quality education…It is the paramount duty of the State to improve educational infrastructures and provide a safe shelter for all school-going children.”While detailing the statistics, the Court highlighted several existing issues like the school building being in a dilapidated condition; lack of proper lights and fans in the classrooms; no toilet facilities in the schools leading to deferred urination and resulting health issues amongst children especially girls; absence of separate or sanitized washroom, coupled with non-availability of free sanitary pads increasing the risk of shock syndrome; lack of infrastructure for technological or science based education like working computers and laboratories; etc. The Court opined that despite Rajasthan allocating 6% of its state budget to education, conditions in many government schools remained inadequate. In-fact the issue was not limited to Rajasthan or government schools, but even the private schools were lacking essential infrastructure, and the issues existed all around the nation. “These findings underscore the urgent need for systemic reforms and greater investment in school infrastructure, particularly in government-run institutions. Bridging these gaps is essential not just for the holistic development of students but also for ensuring equitable access to quality education across urban and rural India.”It was held that building safe school should be the priority for architects, engineers, policy makers, administrators, and emergency response planners. Among all public facilities, children in schools were the most vulnerable during disasters. In this background, the Court held that addressing these challenges required dedicated investment in school infrastructure and regular monitoring to promote importance of education for every child. Only with such comprehensive approach, the State could ensure that every child, regardless of location or gender, had access to safe, inclusive and high quality education. While taking suo motu cognizance of the matter as, “Suo Motu: In the matter of safety and well-being on school going children”, Rajasthan HC issued show cause notices to the Centre and the State seeking response on why the directions appearing in the order shall not be issued, and also summoned a report on effective steps being taken on the issues. The matter was listed on August 1, 2025. Title: IN RE: Safety and well-being of School Going ChildrenClick Here To Read/Download Order

Classroom Ceiling Collapsed, 7 Children Dead: Rajasthan High Court Takes Suo Motu Cognizance On Infrastructural Issues In Schools

Nupur Agrawal

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