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Poor infra in schools: HC fines Haryana with ₹5 lakh, summons principal secy, director education
The court was hearing a 2017 plea by one Amarjeet and other villagers from Kaithal who had approached the court demanding that safety of students be ensured from the dilapidated building that had already been declared unfit and dangerous for students
Taking a grim view of poor amenities in Haryana schools even as crores remained unutilised, the Punjab and Haryana high court has imposed a cost of ₹ 5 lakh on the government and summoned the principal secretary and director secondary education with a timeline within which various projects and amenities are to be completed.
“The government’s insensitivity is glaring as government schools yearn for rooms, electricity, toilets as well as drinking water. With the Government of India vigorously pursuing ‘Swachh Bharat’ mission and wanting setting up toilets for every household and repeated instances of girls being sexually harassed and assaulted in schools in Haryana, the absence of toilets in 538 girls’ schools only highlights the plight and condition at the ground level (sic),” the bench of justice Vinod S Bhardwaj observed taking note of the startling facts put forth in the fresh affidavit submitted by the director, secondary education.
The court was hearing a 2017 plea by one Amarjeet and other villagers from Kaithal who had approached the court demanding that safety of students be ensured from the dilapidated building that had already been declared unfit and dangerous for students. It was in these proceedings that the high court (HC) had been seeking budgetary and amenities details from the state government from time to time.
The court found that the education department surrendered ₹10, 675 crore in 10 years as it remained non-utilised, which included ₹6,794.07 crore against the state schemes and ₹3,881.92 crore under centrally sponsored schemes.
As per the affidavit, there are a total of 14,281 schools with 95,363 total number available and under construction classrooms. As per affidavit, additional classrooms required are 8,240 rooms and other rooms required are 5,630, whereas 42,945 are available. As for basic amenities, 131 schools are where there is no functional drinking water facility; 1,047 schools without boys’ toilets and 538 schools without girls’ toilets. 236 were such where even electricity connection did not exist.
The court observed that the affidavit filed is nothing more than “jugglery of statistics with no commitment to addressing the core issues that are glaring and a staring in the face of the affidavit”.
It recorded that no timeline is given for making basic amenities functional. “The running state of the affairs of the department by the directorate and the principal secretary thus leaves much room for improvement and pro-active vision and leadership, a quality found severely lacking. It seems that the officials in the Department of Education are shifting the burden rather than shouldering the responsibility and finding excuses for their inability to meet the obligation to the society for providing quality education to the citizens of tomorrow,” it further recorded seeking a timeline by December 15 and presence of secretary and director secondary education. It further added that the question of fixing administrative responsibility for the lapses committed would be kept open.
The order says there is complete “lack of planning” on authorities’ part and the position has remained unchanged even though officials were summoned in the past as well, who had given assurances of taking prompt action.
As of cost imposed, the court said it was being ordered as “a mark of anguish and displeasure” and the amount should be transferred to the department of women and child development within 10 days, to be utilised for the welfare of the ‘children homes’.