Bihar govt swings into action after India Today expose on unsafe school buildings

A dilapidated school building in Bihar's Darbhanga, where children were studying despite serious safety concerns, will no longer host classes. A day after an India Today ground report exposed the condition of Primary School in Kiratpur, Alinagar block, the Education Department has ordered its students to shift to another campus from October 5.The decision was taken after the condition of the Kiratpur school building and the safety risks faced by children were brought to light in the report.CLASSES TO SHIFT FROM OCTOBER 5Following the report, the Block Education Officer of Alinagar issued an order, Letter No. 407, directing that classes for Primary School Kiratpur be conducted at Middle School Goswa.The order was issued on the same day as the report, with the Education Department citing the safety of children as the reason for shifting the classes. According to the order, students of Kiratpur Primary School will attend classes at the Middle School Goswa campus starting Monday, October 5.After the order was issued, Education Department officials visited the school to inspect the condition of the building and review preparations for shifting classes to the new premises.NOT THE FIRST ACTION AFTER INDIA TODAY REPORT This is not the first time the government has taken action after an India Today report highlighted the condition of government schools in Bihar.In August, India Today reported on government schools in Bihar that lacked proper buildings. The government took cognizance of the report at the time and instructed the concerned officials to take action.On September 18, Bihar Chief Minister Samrat Chaudhary, while speaking on an India Today programme about the role of the media, said the media acts as an independent watchdog and that the government would take action when irregularities are brought to light.The action at Kiratpur school is the latest development in this sequence. While the August report highlighted schools lacking their own buildings, the October action followed the report on the dilapidated condition of the Kiratpur school building.HEADMASTER THANKS INDIA TODAYRajendra Kumar, headmaster-in-charge of Kiratpur Primary School, expressed satisfaction with the decision to relocate the classes to another campus and thanked India Today for highlighting the issue.With the relocation, children from Kiratpur will begin attending classes at Middle School Goswa from October 5.- Ends