Disasters batter Uttarakhand, children forced to study in crumbling schools

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DEHRADUN/HALDWANI/ALMORA/RUDRAPUR: In Uttarakhand, each monsoon brings devastation-roads wash away, homes collapse, and there is widespread destruction. This year, the monsoons have been particularly harsh, as the disasters at Dharali, Tharali, Harsil and Syanachatti show. Amid this annual havoc, children are among the most vulnerable, forced to study in crumbling govt schools despite crores being sanctioned for repairs year after year. Most recently, a tranche of Rs 20 crore was released for this purpose, yet the reality on the ground remains bleak.For many children, the classroom has become less a place of learning and more a daily struggle for safety-amid collapsing walls, leaking roofs, and the threat of wild animals straying in. Education minister Dhan Singh Rawat, taking cognisance of the issue, recently directed repairs to be completed by March 2026, allotting Rs 2 crore each to seven districts and Rs 1 crore each to the rest six. But state-watchers say this is nowhere close to what’s required and the estimated cost for repairs exceeds Rs 72 crore. “We’ve received proposals from nearly 1,400 schools. We are sending the remaining demand to the govt. Repairing these schools and ensuring safety is a priority,” said Mukul Sati, director of secondary education.In Dehradun, officials admit that 227 primary and 44 secondary schools require urgent repair. In Sinyali, the boundary wall of a school was washed away in heavy rain, leaving the premises exposed. In Chukkhuwala, parents have been raising alarm about their local intercollege. “The ceiling here has cracks. Each downpour weakens it further. We worry for our children’s safety,” said Amit Verma, a parent.In Udham Singh Nagar, 55 schools have officially been declared dilapidated. In Kashipur block, nine schools shifted classes to anganwadi centres and makeshift premises after rainwater poured through cracked roofs and walls. In Jaspur’s Rajkiya Primary School, nearly three feet of water flooded the campus during a recent spell of rain, forcing children to wade through water to reach classrooms. A primary school in Maldevta, on the outskirts of Doon, damaged in the 2022 tragedy, is yet to see repairs.(Inputs by Tanmayee Tyagi in Dehradun, Sonali Mishra in Haldwani, Aakash Ahuja in US Nagar, and Yogesh Nagarkoti in Almora)