Dodda Banaswadi School Construction Leaves 800 Students in Unsafe Conditions

Over the past few weeks, around 800 students at the Karnataka Public School in Makkuntamma Nagar near Dodda Banaswadi have been exposed to hazardous conditions due to ongoing classroom construction being conducted without safety measures or adequate supervision. The construction of a ground-plus-two-floor building, funded by local MLA KJ George's Local Area Development Fund, has left the school premises cluttered with debris and construction materials like steel bars, raising concerns among parents and social activists.

During a visit to the school on a Thursday, only one teacher was available to monitor more than 100 students playing in the vacant space between the existing building and the active construction site. The school has a total of 16 teachers, but 12 of them have been deployed on electoral roll duty, leaving the remaining staff stretched thin.

The contractor has failed to install open-mesh safety barriers to catch falling tools and building materials, leaving children vulnerable to falling debris during assemblies and playtime. Furthermore, more than half of the school's vacant space is now occupied by construction materials, leaving virtually no room for students to park their bicycles.

"I am keeping a vigil on the students. I have already advised them not to go near the building under construction," said the teacher monitoring the playground on Thursday.

In addition to safety concerns, workers engaged in the construction project damaged the school’s borewell water pump. This has disrupted the water supply, forcing teachers to purchase water from private suppliers to clean plates used for mid-day meals. "We do not have sufficient water supply due to the damage to the borewell water pump," one teacher said.

Social activist Rajesh Sadagopan pointed out a lack of cleanliness at the school's entrance, while child rights activist Nagasimha G Rao expressed deep concern over the lack of physical separation between the work areas and the spaces where children study and play. Rao urged the Department of School Education and Literacy, the Public Works Department, and local authorities to immediately inspect the school and enforce child safety standards.