Uttarakhand has nearly 17,022 government schools in primary, upper primary and secondary level which, according to media reports, need a whopping Rs 900 crore for maintenance.
Of the over 15,330 primary and upper primary schools, 8,107 require furniture. Another 868 secondary schools are in the need (HT Photo)
DEHRADUN: The Uttarakhand government is looking for financial assistance from corporate bigwigs to fix the creaking infrastructure of its schools which are in need of a drastic overhaul.
After the high court in June warned of imposing financial emergency could be imposed unless basic amenities are provided to government schools, a cornered BJP government is exploring avenues to augment the facilities at schools till December.
“The state is already facing acute financial crisis and therefore, we are seeking support from corporates to fund us for strengthening our schools,” director general, education, Alok Shekhar Tiwari told Hindustan Times. The government will approach Oil and Natural Gas Corporation, Hans Foundation among others to provide financial assistance through the corporate social responsibility (CSR) route.
Uttarakhand has nearly 17,022 government schools in primary, upper primary and secondary level which, according to media reports, need a whopping Rs 900 crore for maintenance.
The basic amenity of drinking water is not available in 562 primary, 171 upper primary and 366 secondary level schools. Pauri has the maximum number of primary schools (124) in need of potable water, Uttarkash for upper primary (46) and Tehri for secondary schools (62).
Sanitation is another neglected area. Of the total 12,539 primary schools, toilets for girls are needed in 507 schools and another 413 require toilets for boys. Similarly, of the 2,791 upper primary schools, 154 need boys’ toilet and 98 girls’ toilet.
“In co-education schools, students face great difficulties when it comes to sanitation. It becomes awkward, especially for girls, to share toilers with boys. There’s an urgent need to provide basic amenities such as toilets, drinking water and infrastructure at the earliest,” Hira Singh Bora, district president of teachers’ association Almora, said.
There is an acute shortage of basic furniture and stationery in these schools. Of the over 15,330 primary and upper primary schools, 8,107 where 3,84,871 kids are enrolled, require furniture. Another 868 secondary schools are in the need of furniture.
While private schools are working towards interactive learning through Smart TV, government schools have come a cropper. None of the 10,246 schools having up to 50 students have smart televisions. As many as 3,876 smart TVs are missing in 1,938 schools where enrollment is higher than 50 students.
Computer is taught as a basic subject in private schools from grade 1. But, students get to learn it in government schools only in secondary level. And guess what? All 1,692 secondary government schools need computers so that students can practical classes.
Article Source: Hindustan Times