Jaipur: In the aftermath of the Jhalawar school building collapse, which left seven children dead and 21 injured, the state education department has doubled down on efforts to encourage the students to return to school, albeit in a makeshift arrangement until a new building is constructed. Classes of the Govt Upper Primary School in Piplodi will resume from Thursday.Officials said new school uniforms, bags, books, and stationery were given to 65 students of the school, and a welcome ceremony will also be held on Thursday. The school had a total of 72 children enrolled this year. In the past 10 days, four teachers posted at the school went door to door and motivated the students to come back to school and also addressed the fear among parents.“The department wanted to shift the students to a nearby govt school, but villagers did not want to send their children outside. We then selected the house of a local resident, where all children can be accommodated in different rooms. There, classes will start from Thursday,” said Ram Singh Meena, chief district education officer of Jhalawar. The official added that a structural inspection of the new building was also conducted by engineers of the department.Mahesh Meena, a teacher from the school, said, “Parents were scared to send their children to school, but with regular conversations, they have agreed to send them. It’s a small village, so while visiting houses of students who live nearby, we used to call everyone at one place and taught them a few concepts at home, so that they remain in touch with studies.”The department also deployed additional teachers from the district headquarters at SRG Hospital where the injured children were being treated. When the incident took place on July 25, the department deployed 12 teachers at the hospital in shifts of six hours each to help parents navigate the treatment process along with any other help. At present, five teachers are still deployed as still half a dozen students are undergoing treatment.School education minister Madan Dilawar Wednesday said, “Efforts are being made by the department to create a fear-free educational environment for the children, so that they can return to studies with alertness. Alternate arrangements have been made, and students are also showing interest in going back to school.”
