Several government school students in Jharkhand continue to attend classes in dilapidated and unsafe buildings, exposing them to risks while affecting the quality of education. Cracked walls, leaking roofs, damaged classrooms, and inadequate basic facilities remain common in various schools.
One such example is the Government Upgraded Secondary School at Hethu village in Ranchi. The school, built in 1959, is in a dilapidated condition, and over 90 students continue to attend classes in the building.
During the monsoon, rainwater leaks through the roofs of many classrooms, and exposed iron reinforcement bars are visible at several places. The school in Hethu is just one among a staggering total of around 4,481 government school buildings across the state.
Similarly, at Government Middle School, Hindi Tharpakhna, only nine students are enrolled due to its poor condition. Government Middle School, Lalpur, is currently operating from an RMC building within the school premises because the main structure is in a damaged condition.
According to the Unified District Information System for Education (UDISE+) database, the state has more than 35,000 schools. However, many of them require infrastructure upgrades due to their dilapidated condition.
According to recent baseline assessments by the Jharkhand Education Department, around 4,481 government school buildings have been identified as dilapidated or unsafe. In response, the School Education and Literacy Department will demolish 3,428 such schools.
Pankaj Kumar, Additional District Programme Officer, said, “Each year, the team drafts a comprehensive plan highlighting the schools in need of urgent repair. The list is submitted to the government for consideration. However, not all the schools identified in the proposal are being provided with the necessary funding for their repair and maintenance.
The sanctioned list is shorter in contrast to the proposed list.”
Additionally, the schools are provided with annual maintenance funds in proportion to their enrolment. A grant of Rs 10,000 is allocated to schools with fewer than 100 students. Rs 25,000 is provided to institutions with 250 or fewer students, while Rs 50,000 is allocated to institutions with 1,000 or fewer students, and Rs 1 lakh is given to institutions with 1,000 or more students.
Meanwhile, the Education Department’s plans are underway for the construction of over 800 classrooms in different schools.
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