Haryana govt schools grapple with poor infra

The Haryana Government today admitted in the Vidhan Sabha that schools are short of at least 11,475 rooms, including 6,848 classrooms, while the vacancy rate among post graduate teachers (PGTs) stands at 22.6 per cent.

Replying to a Calling Attention Notice moved by Congress MLA Ashok Arora on the "pitiable" condition of government schools, Education Minister Mahipal Dhanda said as per a review of infrastructure conducted on May 10, 2023, it was assessed that 8,240 classrooms, 5,630 other rooms and 321 boundary walls were required.

To bridge the gap, the Education Department sanctioned Rs 473.44 crore in 2023-24 and an additional Rs 306.84 crore in 2024-25.

He informed the Assembly that 1,392 classrooms, 1,003 other rooms and 172 boundary walls were scheduled to be completed between April 2023 and January this year. Even if it is assumed that these projects have been completed, 6,848 classrooms and 4,627 other rooms are still required.

Dhanda admitted that work on 1,144 classrooms, 624 other rooms, and 192 boundary walls was in progress and was likely to be completed between June and December this year. Additionally, for 3,237 classrooms, 1,385 other rooms and 118 boundary walls, the work has been approved, and the tendering process is underway. It is likely to be completed between April 2025 and March 2026.

To address the remaining infrastructure gap, further approvals would be issued from the budget allocated for 2025-26, Dhanda said.

He further said as per the assessment on May 10, 2023, drinking water was unavailable in 131 government schools, boys' toilets in 1,047 schools, girls' toilets in 538 schools and electricity connections in 236 schools. To address these deficiencies, Rs 43.48 crore was approved in 2023-24, and at present, these facilities were available in all schools, Dhanda claimed.

There are 14,295 government schools in the state.

On the shortage of teachers, the minister informed the House that against the sanctioned strength of 37,738 PGTs, 8,519 posts were vacant, indicating a 22.6 per cent shortfall. Among trained graduate teachers (TGTs), there is a shortage of 4,583 (11.5 per cent) with the requirement being 39,828. Among primary teachers, the sanctioned strength is 37,759 but there is a vacancy of 2,557, implying a shortfall of 6.8 per cent.

Overall, there is a shortage of 15,659 teachers (13.6 per cent) out of the total required strength of 1.15 lakh. The government currently employs 80,640 regular teachers, 11,916 guest teachers, and 7,110 teachers hired through the Haryana Kaushal Rozgaar Nigam (HKRN).

The minister informed the House that appointment letters for 1,704 PGTs would be issued soon, and 4,550 vacant posts would be filled through promotions. For 3,427 TGT posts, an indent has been sent to the HKRN, while for the recruitment of 1,456 primary teachers, an indent has been sent to the Haryana Staff Selection Commission.

Former CM Bhupinder Singh Hooda remarked, “Parents enrol their children in private schools due to the lack of teachers in government schools. However, private institutions charge exorbitant prices for books and other essentials.”

On the quality of education, Arora pointed out that students from Punjab and Himachal Pradesh perform better than those from Haryana, citing the Annual Status of Education Report-2024. He also raised concerns about the lack of computers and libraries. Congress MLAs Mandeep Chatha and Balwan Singh Daulatpuria also spoke on the issue.