India, July 13 -- With nearly 1,500 children displaced and forced into online learning, or relocated far from home, parents and education activists are demanding a third-party structural audit of the New Mahim Municipal English Primary School. The school, run by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), was recently vacated after being declared unsafe. Parents now fear the school will be demolished without any plan to rebuild it nearby, leaving Mahim without a civic school.

The 50-year-old building, last repaired in 2017, was classified as C-2 in July 2024-in need of repairs but safe to occupy. However, by January 2025, it was suddenly declared C-1-completely unsafe and due for demolition. The sudden turnaround has raised concerns ab...