Chhattisgarh Children Coerced Into a Waste‑Facility Classroom

In the remote Narayanpur Gram Panchayat of Manendragarh‑Chirmiri‑Bharatpur district, about 100 children are doing their math and reading lessons under a tin‑shed that once housed a solid waste management unit. It sounds odd, but that’s the reality after the government declared their actual school building structurally unsound.

The old school’s roof leaks whenever it rains, and the walls are crumbling – a clear safety hazard. Parents and teachers raised the alarm, yet the response was a makeshift relocation to the vacant waste‑facility structure, which is far from ideal.

Headmaster Narayan Singh Markam told reporters that he had both verbally and in writing warned senior officials about the deteriorating conditions. “We were told to shift classes there temporarily,” he said, adding that the garbage‑collection vehicle, once parked outside, now sits inside the same cramped space, making the environment even more uncomfortable.

Teacher Sanjay Kumar Khare echoed the concerns, noting that insects swarm the area and that the building offers little protection from the elements. “How can children from class 1 to class 8 study in a garbage building?” he asked, his frustration palpable after three or four years of unanswered pleas.

District Education Officer Ravikant Yadav said a report from the Block Education Officer confirmed the school’s poor state. He promised that a repair proposal would be drafted and sent to the state government, but actual work hinges on receiving the necessary funds and approvals.

For now, the kids squeeze onto benches, textbooks balanced on laps, while the occasional wind rattles the metal roof. It’s a far cry from the modern classrooms the state talks about, especially as AI‑driven curricula and better infrastructure are being promoted elsewhere.

The situation remains a stark reminder that, in some corners of India, “temporary” can stretch into years, leaving young learners to adapt to less‑than‑ideal surroundings while officials sort out paperwork.