Baran School Lab Collapses; No Injuries Reported

Lab In-charge Absent Due to Holidays

Continuous rainfall in Baran has led to a series of school building collapses in the district and the city. Around 9:30 am today, a lab room located behind the government higher secondary school building on Kota Road was damaged. The sudden damage to the first-floor lab room caused panic in the school. Fortunately, the room was unoccupied at the time; the lab in-charge was also absent due to holidays, though present elsewhere in the school on other business.

Administrative Officials Arrive at the Scene

Administrative officials arrived at the scene following the incident. Just two days prior, Rajasthan Patrika had published a news report about this very school concerning its dilapidated condition. Built in 1915, this building is dilapidated in several places. The central hall has been closed off for this reason. The school has operated from this building since after independence, but no significant repairs have been undertaken.

New Survey Reveals 167 Damaged Schools

Baran district has a total of 1230 government schools, from primary to higher secondary level: 514 primary schools, 372 upper primary schools, and 344 government higher secondary schools. The education department sought information about damaged and dilapidated school buildings from block education officers on June 3rd, 2025. 79 buildings were declared dilapidated and reported to the District Collector on June 12th, 2025. However, a new survey conducted after the recent rains in the district has revealed that a total of 167 schools are damaged and dilapidated. In some schools, two classrooms are damaged, in others three, and in some cases, walls or ceilings have collapsed.

Information Sent to District Collector on June 12th

Chief District Education Officer, Gendalal Raiagar, stated that before the onset of the monsoon, written instructions were issued on June 3rd to all block education officers to barricade dilapidated buildings and take flood prevention measures. Information on dilapidated buildings was also sought and sent to the District Collector on June 12th.

District Headquarters School Building Also Dilapidated

The government higher secondary school building on Kota Road in the district headquarters has been in a dilapidated state for years. Sources say that the Kota Road school, built in 1915, is dilapidated in many places. The main hall has been closed for years; it was previously used for indoor games. Several walls are supported by brick and cement pillars. The ceilings leak in several places. However, comprehensive repair work has not yet been undertaken. The roofs of the government higher secondary school building in Bawanmarta ki Jhopdian village in the Panchayat Samiti area are also dilapidated. This school is located just five kilometres from the district headquarters.

Proposals Not Yet Submitted

The list of dilapidated schools sent on June 12th included 79 schools in the district. After the rains, this number has increased to 167. Assistant Engineer of the Education Department, Krishna Gopal Pandey, said that proposals worth approximately ₹38.35 crore have been prepared for the repair of these school buildings. These proposals will be submitted by Saturday or Monday.