DARBHANGA, Oct. 4 -- A pillar at a government primary school in Bihar's Darbhanga district has collapsed, forcing staff to use benches, desks, and bricks as a makeshift support for the ageing roof, officials said on Saturday. The precarious structure at Kiratpur Primary School in the Alinagar block has raised safety concerns for the 191 children enrolled at the institution, officials added. Although classes are not currently held beneath the portion supported by the makeshift arrangement, students and teachers continue to pass through the area. The school building, constructed in 1983 under the Centre's "Operation Blackboard" programme, has developed several structural problems. The roof leaks during rain, while beams and pillars are in a dilapidated condition. Plaster has fallen off at several places and reinforcement bars have become exposed. After one of the pillars collapsed some three-four month ago, benches, desks and bricks were placed underneath the roof instead of constructing a replacement pillar, according to school authorities. Classes for students from class I to V are conducting only in two rooms. Currently one of the rooms is used to keep office furniture and almirah, according to an official. Due to the shortage of space and dilapidated building classes are conducted in the open areas. Assistant teacher Pawan Kumar Choudhary said the education department and other officials had been informed several times about the condition of the building. Villagers have also staged protests seeking a solution. "After the pillar collapsed, benches and desks were used to support the roof. The danger remains," he said. Villager Parjit Yadav said repeated appeals had been made regarding the safety of the children. "If a new building is not constructed soon, we will launch an agitation," he said. Headmaster Rajendra Kumar said the school had informed officials from the block to the district level around five to six times. Written communications were also sent and officials had inspected the school, but no permanent repair or replacement building had so far been provided. When contacted on Saturday, Darbhanga district education officer (DEO) Vidyanand Thakur said steps had already been taken for construction of a new building. He said the old building had been declared unsafe and no teaching activity was being conducted there. "The existing two-room building was constructed as the first primary school in this village in 1983 under Operation Blackboard. At present, teaching is being conducted in the kitchen shed on the school premises," Thakur said. According to the DEO, the existing building has limited usable space, with an almirah occupying one room and benches and desks kept in another room and in the verandah. He said an estimate for construction of a new building had already been submitted to the department. He said a six-room new school building had been proposed and would be constructed through the Bihar School Infrastructure Development Corporation. The old structure would subsequently be dismantled by the agency, he added....