Social audit of govt schools in HP's Bilaspur finds no school building meets infrastructure standards

Shimla: A social audit of the Samagra Shiksha scheme in government schools in Himachal Pradesh's Bilaspur district has revealed that none of the surveyed school buildings fully met the infrastructure standards prescribed under the Right to Education Act. A team from Himachal Pradesh University (HPU) led by Assistant Professor (Rural Development) Dr Randhir Ranta surveyed 154 schools -- nearly 20 per cent of the district's 809 government schools -- in the first phase of the audit, which will cover all schools in four subsequent phases, a statement issued here on Wednesday said.

The findings were presented during a public hearing in Bilaspur on Tuesday that was attended by Deputy Director (Education Quality) Nisha Gupta. Samagra Shiksha is a centrally sponsored scheme launched in 2018 to improve school education from pre-primary to class 12. It combines three earlier schemes - Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan and Teacher Education and has been aligned with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. According to the statement, the audit found significant deficiencies in infrastructure, student safety, accessibility, governance and educational quality, raising concerns about the effective implementation of the Right to Education (RTE) Act.

It also found that none of the surveyed schools had access to professional counselling services. Facilities and support systems for children with special needs were inadequate, indicating significant gaps in inclusive education practices, the statement said. Presenting the report, Ranta said the audit's primary objective was to promote transparency, accountability and community participation in the education system while improving the quality of education. Over 175 questions covering six key components necessary for quality education were examined. According to the report, none of the surveyed school buildings fully met the infrastructure standards prescribed under the RTE Act.

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Nearly 40 per cent of the schools lacked adequate classroom space and sufficient rooms for teaching and non-teaching staff while around 44 per cent reported inadequate furniture. Drinking water facilities were available in all schools, but nearly 80 per cent did not provide hygienic drinking water. Over 35 per cent of the schools have not constituted school safety committees, exposing students to risks associated with disasters, mental harassment and sexual abuse. The report further revealed that 56 per cent of the schools lacked boundary walls or fencing.

"More than half of the schools in Bilaspur do not have boundary walls or fencing, posing safety and security threats, especially for girls," said Bachan Singh, a member of the HPU social audit team. When it comes to accessibility for children with disabilities, nearly 74 per cent of the schools lacked barrier-free access, while 85 per cent did not have toilets designed for children with special needs. The report also pointed to weak monitoring mechanisms, with field-level education officials not conducting school inspections and visits. More than half of the schools did not have complaint and suggestion boxes for addressing grievances, which the RTE framework mandates. More than 90 per cent of the schools met the prescribed norms for library infrastructure.

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The implementation of the mid-day meal scheme was also good, with only 1 per cent of the schools lacking kitchen facilities, the audit found. "Bilaspur district has made several achievements in improving the quality of education, but there are some gaps highlighted by the report which we will overcome in the near future," said Deputy Director (Education Quality) Gupta. "This social audit has identified factual deficiencies, and we will make sincere efforts to address them," she said.