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Cuttack, March 10: More than 3,000 schools across the state do not have toilet facilities for students, the state government said in an affidavit filed before the Orissa High Court during the hearing of a petition on the deteriorating condition of primary education in the state Thursday.
The affidavit which was filed in line with the direction of the High Court, also states that about 400 schools in the state do not have drinking water facilities for students. The schools also lack other infrastructure.
A division bench of Chief Justice Vineet Saran and Justice Pradip Kumar Mohanty has asked the state government to file a fresh affidavit to inform the court how long it would take to resolve the problems related to basic facilities that are mentioned in the affidavit filed Thursday.
Moreover, the High Court has also asked the amicus curiae in the case to present his view on why there is low attendance in schools and why the dropout rate is so high. The court asked the amicus curiae whether it is the lack of basic facilities in the institutions that is prompting students to leave studies midway. The court then posted the hearing to March 17.
Earlier, Chief Secretary Aditya Prasad Padhi and school and mass education department secretary Ranjana Chopra appeared in person before the court February 25. The High Court had rapped the officials for not filing an affidavit over the deteriorating condition of primary education in state despite repeated reminders. The court had asked the officials to file an affidavit mentioning the names of the schools that did not have basic facilities for students.
A public interest litigation (PIL) had been filed in the court over the deteriorating condition of primary education, following which the court had asked the officials concerned to inform it of the reasons behind the problems not being addressed. It had asked the officials to also inform it why children are not willing to go to school and why the officials are not ascertaining the cause behind it.
