The rundown building of the Zilla Parishad Urdu School in Khoni village in Bhiwandi is preventing more than 900 students from attending classes even though schools across Maharashtra have shifted to offline teaching in the past two weeks. This is because their school building - a ground plus three structure - has long pending repair works, making it unfit to hold classes. Unfortunately, neither the school principal nor the Zilla Parishad administration are keen on resolving the issue and shifting children to safer places to attend school. According to parents, the structure is categorized as dangerous but the zilla parishad says it only needs repairs. But in both cases, students continue to be deprived of their right to education. Even as online education is an option, most students cannot access it as children coming to this school come from underprivileged backgrounds and nearby slums. Sayyed Abdul Mussallim, a labourer at a nearby loom, said, “My daughter Munira studies in Class I in this school. I cannot afford a mobile phone for her online learning. Already she has faced major academic loss when schools were completely closed. But now they have opened, she cannot return to studying. There is another Urdu medium school nearby where these children can be accommodated, but neither the school principal nor the zilla parishad administration have said anything in this regard Mehboob Malik, a driver, said, “My two daughters Kulsum and Alifia study in classes III and VI. We have only one smartphone at home, which means somebody is always at a loss. But why should we have to face these problems again when considering all these issues the schools were allowed to reopen for offline operations. The issue came to light after parents approached a social organisation, Movement for Peace and Justice (MPJ). The MPJ is demanding a departmental inquiry in this case as according to them, the quality of construction of the school building was so subpar that it has become a dangerous structure in just nine years. Nadeem Bahaduri, president, MPJ for Khoni Village area, Bhiwandi, said, “We demand a new building and temporary shifting of children to another structure until the new is ready. But we strongly demand reprimanding of those involved in the construction of the existing structure.” The school management committee, according to information provided by member Mohammad Ali, has for long recommended shifting children to another structure, but there has been no progress on this issue from the administration. CEO of Thane Zilla Parishad Bhausaheb Dhangade said, “After the damage to the structure was reported, we had a structural audit conducted by a government agency, which has recommended repair work of the same building. While that will be done on priority, we are currently in the process of finding an alternative place to run this school. This will be finalised in a couple of days and within a week, these students should be back in school.”
