A tragic incident has come to light from Koderma district where a 10-year-old student of Pandeydih Upgraded Middle School drowned in a pond located in a field behind the school. The deceased has been identified as Vinay Kumar, a Class 3 student.
Incident Details
According to the family, Vinay attended school on Saturday as usual but did not return home. When he failed to come back, the family grew anxious and began searching for him. Later, his body was discovered floating in a small pond situated in the fields behind the school premises.
Family Alleges Negligence
The bereaved family has claimed that lack of proper supervision led to the boy’s death. They pointed out that while the school has 162 enrolled students and a sanctioned staff of four, only two teachers were present on the day of the incident. The family believes that if adequate staff had been available, the tragedy could have been averted.
Teacher's Account
Teacher-in-charge Sarika Sharma stated that the school closed at 11:30 am. She said, “The boy drowned on his way home. His parents approached me at 1 pm. The deceased’s two sisters, Arti and Purnima, study in classes 4 and 5, respectively. The deceased had gone to attend nature’s call after giving his school bag to his sisters.”
Investigation Underway
District Superintendent of Education (DSE) Ajay Kumar confirmed that an investigation is underway to determine the exact circumstances of the incident. He assured that all necessary steps would be taken to prevent such occurrences in the future.
This incident has once again raised questions about the safety of students in schools, especially in rural areas where infrastructure and supervision are often inadequate.
