6-year-old killed as makeshift blackboard of bricks collapses at Rajasthan school

Preliminary enquiries have raised concerns over unsafe construction in the school, with classrooms allegedly built using temporary materials. Authorities have ordered a probe, while the incident adds to a series of recent fatal school infrastructure collapses reported from across Rajasthan.

A six-year-old student was killed after a makeshift blackboard and the supporting wall collapsed on her inside a private school in Rajasthan’s Jalore district on Friday afternoon, exposing serious concerns over unsafe school infrastructure in rural areas. The victim, identified as Preeti, a Class 2 student, was playing with other children during the lunch break at Marudhar Shikshan Sansthan when the structure suddenly gave way, police said.

According to officials, a blackboard constructed using fibre and cement bricks collapsed along with portions of the supporting wall, trapping the child under debris. School staff and locals pulled her out and rushed to a nearby hospital, where doctors declared her brought dead due to severe head injuries.

Police and administrative officials reached the spot soon after receiving information and shifted the body for post-mortem examination.

Preliminary enquiries have pointed to possible negligence in construction and safety standards. Locals said the classrooms were makeshift structures built by stacking cement bricks up to five to seven feet high, with bamboo poles placed above and covered with tarpaulin sheets to serve as roofing.

The wall supporting the brick-built blackboard allegedly collapsed without warning while children were inside the classroom.

Villagers said the school began operating from the structure around five to six years ago after the land was purchased and had around 350 students up to Class 12 enrolled.