Rajasthan education secretary scales ladders in surprise school safety checks
Rajasthan School Education Secretary Rajesh Yadav conducted surprise inspections of government schools in Jaipur and Dausa. Warning against safety lapses, he ordered the immediate demolition of dilapidated structures, mandated structural testing for new buildings, and called for strict digital monitoring
Jaipur: The School Education Department is continuously monitoring government schools at the grassroots level to ensure student safety and provide a quality learning environment. As part of this initiative, Rajesh Yadav, Additional Chief Secretary (School Education), conducted surprise inspections of several government schools in Jaipur and Dausa districts on Wednesday, reviewing building quality, academic arrangements and infrastructural facilities.
He said the dilapidated condition of school buildings poses a serious threat to student safety. Students should be immediately shifted away from unsafe structures, and buildings declared dilapidated must be demolished without delay. Damaged buildings, he added, should be repaired promptly to ensure they are safe for use. Yadav also directed officials to ensure regular digital monitoring of private schools through the Rajshala Sambalan app and to strengthen the assessment of academic quality. Emphasising the need to increase enrolment in government schools, he said that no child should remain out of school.
The inspection was attended by officials from the district administration, the Education Department and Samagra Shiksha, including Executive Engineer Sumit Tiwari, Assistant Engineer Ajay Jangid and Jaipur Chief District Education Officer Mukul Kaviya. During the inspection, Yadav went beyond reviewing reports and personally climbed onto school roofs to assess the quality of construction.
At schools without permanent staircases, he used temporary ladders to access the rooftops and inspect the condition of the buildings. He instructed officials to ensure that rainwater does not accumulate on building foundations or rooftops during the monsoon and directed that roofs and school premises be cleaned regularly. In Jaipur district’s Bassi block, Yadav inspected the Government Upper Primary School, Trilokpura; Kasturba Gandhi Balika Residential School, Kalyanpura; Government Upper Primary School, Kalyanpura; and Government Girls’ Senior Secondary School, Sujanpura. He reviewed the condition of school buildings, classroom teaching arrangements, basic amenities and safety measures, issuing necessary directions.
During the visit, he also tasted the mid-day meal to verify the quality of food being served to students. At the Kasturba Gandhi Balika Residential School, he interacted with girl students to inquire about academic arrangements and basic facilities. He also held detailed discussions with teachers regarding enrolment, school functioning and operational challenges. Yadav instructed officials to ensure that there is no laxity in safeguarding children while providing quality education. He reiterated that student safety and a conducive learning environment are the department’s highest priorities and that there would be zero tolerance for negligence in matters related to school safety or construction quality.
He also interacted with students and teachers to obtain firsthand feedback on the functioning of the schools. Earlier, Yadav conducted surprise inspections at the Government Senior Secondary School, Bhandana, and the Government Senior Secondary School, Palawas, in Dausa district. He reviewed the safety, construction quality, classrooms and other basic facilities, and assessed the overall condition of the school infrastructure. He also inspected a building under construction and directed officials to conduct Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) to verify its structural quality.
He said there would be no compromise on construction standards and that any building found below the prescribed quality benchmarks or failing the required tests would be reconstructed. Yadav later chaired a review meeting with district education officials at the Dausa District Collectorate auditorium, where he comprehensively reviewed the education system, academic standards and school infrastructure.
He instructed officials that negligence regarding student safety or the delivery of quality education would not be tolerated. He said the state government’s objective is to provide every student with a safe, high-quality educational environment and directed all officials to discharge their responsibilities with the utmost seriousness, sensitivity and accountability.
