68 young students at Panchpara Primary School in Pandua Block, Hooghly, West Bengal are being forced to sit through lessons under umbrellas—not as part of an outdoor activity, but within the very classrooms meant to shelter and educate them. The shocking images of children aged just 5 to 10 years shielding themselves from rain leaking through a crumbling roof have ignited a storm of outrage, raising uncomfortable questions about the real state of education under the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress (TMC) government.
This is not a case of an isolated, remote hamlet lost in the state’s hinterlands. This is a government-run school established in 1972, located in the political heartland of West Bengal—barely 75 km from Kolkata.
Today, that institution lies in tatters. Of its four classrooms, three have already collapsed over the past two years. The remaining room—where students now cram in desperation—is on the verge of structural failure. The roof leaks heavily, forcing children to bring umbrellas to class just to stay dry. The heart-wrenching video that recently went viral shows rows of tiny schoolchildren huddled beneath umbrellas, sitting on damp floors, their innocent eyes betraying confusion and quiet resignation.
BJP IT cell chief Amit Malviya, who shared the video on X, called out the hypocrisy of the West Bengal government’s lofty educational claims, stating:
“Where are the thousands of crores claimed to be spent on school infrastructure? Where is the much-hyped ‘Banglar Shiksha’? When the government is busy promoting appeasement and photo-ops, this is what children in Bengal endure — a collapsed system, no dignity, no basic facilities. This is not governance. This is criminal neglect.”
What a shame!
This is the tragic reality of Mamata Banerjee’s “education model” in West Bengal.In Hooghly district, 68 young students aged 5 to 10 are being forced to sit in classrooms holding umbrellas — because rainwater leaks through the broken roof of their school.
Where… pic.twitter.com/BeyXDKvEqC
— Amit Malviya (@amitmalviya) June 20, 2025
Amit Malviya’s post triggered a flurry of reactions, including that of BJP’s Tushar Kanti Ghosh, who labelled the condition “Bengal’s Broken Education System” and warned, “The roof may collapse at any time… Mamata ensures criminal negligence for Bengal’s future.”
The school’s head teacher, Jayanta Gupta, has reportedly raised the alarm for over a year, sending multiple written complaints to the Block Development Officer (BDO), issuing verbal pleas to the District Inspector of Schools (Primary), and even approaching Member of Parliament Rachana Banerjee. Yet, there has been zero repair work initiated.
“The situation is hazardous. Every day, these young students risk their lives to attend school,” Gupta told India Today. “The roof could cave in during any heavy downpour.”
After a survey conducted on Gupta’s request, BDO Sebanti Biswas admitted that the matter was forwarded to the state government and now awaits financial approval—a bureaucratic euphemism that has become a death sentence for infrastructure in West Bengal’s public institutions.
Despite Biswas’ assurances, the District Inspector of Schools (Primary), Dipankar Roy, has remained unresponsive to multiple attempts at contact by media outlets, including India Today.
The tragedy at Panchpara Primary School lays bare the brutal reality behind Mamata Banerjee’s Banglar Shiksha portal and her government’s repeated claims of transforming educational infrastructure in Bengal. For years, the state government has flaunted tall numbers—crores of rupees sanctioned for school upgrades, smart classrooms, and sanitation facilities. But the ground reality exposes a gaping chasm between policy and implementation.
Teachers have warned that structural decay, lack of basic maintenance, and zero administrative accountability are widespread across hundreds of schools in the state. Panchpara is merely the tip of the iceberg. This is not the first time a school in West Bengal has made headlines for the wrong reasons. In 2023, schools in North 24 Parganas and Jalpaiguri reported similar instances of students falling ill due to unsanitary conditions and collapsed toilets. Despite repeated promises, little has changed.
Critics argue that the TMC government has diverted focus from foundational education and infrastructure to optics—launching schemes, staging photo ops, and appeasing select vote banks while ignoring pressing grassroots issues. “This incident is emblematic of the criminal neglect that defines the Mamata regime,” said a local BJP worker. “Children are sitting under umbrellas while crores are spent on rallies and political advertisements.”
For children like those at Panchpara Primary School, education has become an act of physical endurance. What was once meant to empower now endangers. Teachers cannot function, children fall ill, and morale plummets. “This is not just a leak in the roof,” said education activist Ankita Saha, “this is a leak in the conscience of a government that has failed its youngest citizens.”
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