While 840 government schools in Uttarakhand now operate hybrid smart classrooms to boost digital education, many others struggle with dangerous infrastructure. In some schools, roofs are supported not by concrete pillars but by wooden sticks to prevent collapse, putting students’ lives at serious risk.
This stark contrast emerged after a tragic incident in Rajasthan’s Jhalawar, where seven students died and 21 were injured due to a school roof collapse. Similarly, in Uttarakhand, over 2,785 of the state’s 11,375 government schools are in dilapidated condition. For instance, in Chamoli district, at the government primary school in Bamotiya, the roof of the school corridor is held up using logs of rhododendron wood.
Shockingly, this situation exists despite the education department receiving the highest budget allocation among all departments. According to local resident Urmila Bisht, the Bamotiya school has around 50–60 students. Authorities claim that no classes are held under the unsafe roof area, but the broader infrastructure issue remains unresolved.
