In a significant move to ensure student safety, the Rajasthan education department has initiated a large-scale operation to relocate pupils from schools with unsafe infrastructure. The office of Education Minister Madan Dilawar issued directives on Tuesday, targeting thousands of institutions across the state.
Massive Relocation Plan Before Schools Reopen
The state government has identified a staggering 3,624 schools where buildings have been deemed dilapidated and unsafe for use. All students enrolled in these institutions will be temporarily shifted to nearby schools that possess secure and robust infrastructure. The minister has set a strict deadline for this transition, instructing officials to complete all arrangements, including informing parents and students, before the conclusion of the winter vacation.
Government schools in Rajasthan closed for the winter break on December 25 and are scheduled to reopen on January 6. This provides a narrow window for authorities and school staff to execute the complex logistical exercise of moving thousands of children to new academic environments seamlessly.
Comprehensive Strategy to Prevent Dropouts
A key concern accompanying such a large-scale shift is the potential disruption to education and the risk of increased absenteeism or dropouts. The government release outlines a detailed plan to mitigate this risk. Surplus teaching staff from the original schools will be given the specific responsibility of ensuring the admission, attendance, and retention of every shifted child. Their mandate explicitly states that there should be "no absentees or dropouts" as a result of the relocation.
Teachers have been directed to maintain constant contact with the parents of relocated students. As part of a modern outreach strategy, surplus staff will create WhatsApp groups for parents of children who are absent and proactively contact them. Furthermore, these teachers will counsel and inform prominent community members in the respective villages or towns about the shift, seeking their support to ensure the smooth continuation of education for all affected students.
Logistical Challenges and Safety Protocols
While the minister's office has issued clear instructions, an official order from the education department is still pending. The ongoing winter vacation for both students and teachers presents a practical challenge for immediate implementation, as key personnel are on leave.
The entire relocation process will be managed at the ground level by teachers, headmasters, and panchayat elementary education officers, all operating under the supervision of the block education officer. For schools where only a section of the building is unsafe, the release specifies a crucial safety protocol: if classes are being held in secure classrooms within a partially dilapidated school, it must be ensured that students do not go near or enter the unsafe sections.
This large-scale action underscores the Rajasthan government's focus on infrastructure safety in the education sector, aiming to prevent tragedies while maintaining academic continuity for a vast number of students.
