The collapse of a compound wall at a government high school in Salur, Manyam district, has resulted in the tragic death of a Class 10 student, Arun Teja. Another student sustained serious injuries and is currently undergoing treatment at a hospital.
The incident has raised serious concerns over the maintenance of infrastructure in government schools, safety standards, and the supervision of school premises by the authorities.
Mana Badi Nadu-Nedu Focused on School Infrastructure
The Mana Badi Nadu-Nedu programme was launched during the Jagan government in the 2019–20 academic year with the objective of modernising government schools across Andhra Pradesh. Under the programme, steps were taken to improve infrastructure in 44,512 government schools across the state.
The programme focused on facilities such as toilets, drinking water, electrification, fans, lighting, furniture, English laboratories, kitchen sheds, additional classrooms and compound walls.
In the first phase, 15,715 schools were developed at a cost of around Rs. 3,669 crore. In the second phase, works were taken up in another 22,344 schools, with an estimated expenditure of around Rs. 8,000 crore.
The remaining schools were expected to be covered under the third phase. However, following the change in government, uncertainty emerged over the continuation of the Nadu-Nedu programme.
School Infrastructure Maintenance Becomes Key Concern
The Salur incident has now brought the issue of maintenance and safety of infrastructure in government schools into sharp focus.
Parents are questioning whether the government should not regularly inspect old buildings, compound walls and other structures that may have deteriorated over time and identify potential hazards before they turn into accidents.
They are also seeking answers on why preventive measures were not taken if any structure within the school premises had become dangerous.
Safety of Children Should Remain Above Political Priorities
Regardless of which government introduced a particular programme, the safety of children studying in government schools cannot be compromised.
Governments may change, but their responsibility for protecting students remains unchanged. Education sector experts have expressed concern that Education Minister Nara Lokesh responded to school safety concerns only after a student lost his life.
They stressed that student safety should be treated as a continuous responsibility rather than an issue addressed only after an accident occurs.
Salur Incident Should Be Treated as a Warning
The Salur tragedy should not be viewed merely as an isolated accident. It should serve as a warning for the government to conduct comprehensive safety inspections across government schools in Andhra Pradesh.
Compound walls, old school buildings and other deteriorating structures should be inspected immediately. Necessary repairs must be undertaken, while alternative arrangements should be made wherever structures are found to be unsafe.
There are also demands for the government to immediately resume the third phase of Mana Badi Nadu-Nedu and provide essential infrastructure in schools that have not yet received adequate facilities.
Parents Demand Immediate Action
Parents are demanding justice for the family of Arun Teja and urgent measures to ensure that similar incidents do not occur in the future.
The government led by Education Minister Nara Lokesh is being urged to provide support to the bereaved family, ensure proper treatment for the injured student and undertake immediate safety audits of government schools across the state.
Ensuring the safety of students and maintaining government school infrastructure in a safe and functional condition must be treated as a fundamental responsibility of the government.
