Hamirpur (HP), A social audit conducted to evaluate the ground-level impact and implementation of the Samagra Shiksha scheme in Himachal Pradesh’s Hamirpur district has revealed several serious shortcomings in the school education system.
Issues concerning infrastructure, student safety, basic amenities, administrative arrangements and the quality of education have raised questions regarding the effective implementation of the Right to Education (RTE) Act in Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu’s home district. The Samagra Shiksha Abhiyaan is a centrally sponsored scheme, aiming to provide education from pre-school to class 12, as per the recommendations of the National Education Policy, 2020.
The social audit report was presented during a public hearing held in Hamirpur on Monday. Over 500 stakeholders, including parents, teachers, School Management Committee (SMC) members, public representatives, Education Department officials, and members of the local community, participated in the hearing.
The social audit was conducted by a team from Himachal Pradesh University led by Dr Randhir Ranta.
The team assessed 146 of the district’s 704 schools, representing approximately 20 per cent of the schools surveyed. Social audits for the remaining schools will be carried out in four subsequent phases, officials said. Deputy Director (Education Quality), Hamirpur, Naveen Sharma, was also present and reviewed the report’s findings.
Ranta said the objective of the social audit was not to find fault but to bring facts to light so that both achievements and shortcomings could be assessed to improve the quality of education.
According to the report, approximately eight per cent of the surveyed schools lacked adequate classrooms and necessary rooms for teaching and non-teaching staff, while a shortage of furniture was found in approximately 56 per cent of schools, forcing many students to study without proper seating arrangements.
The report revealed that while 92 per cent of schools have access to drinking water, 97 per cent do not provide certified or high-quality clean drinking water to children.
Issues related to student safety were among the most serious concerns, the report noted.
According to the report, school safety committees have not been constituted in over 32 per cent of schools, leaving students more vulnerable to mental harassment, sexual exploitation, and disaster-related risks.
Furthermore, 27 per cent of schools lack boundary walls or security fencing, a pressing concern, particularly regarding the safety of female students, the audit report revealed.
The status of facilities for children with disabilities was also found to be unsatisfactory. Barrier-free access for students with disabilities is unavailable in approximately 84 per cent of schools, while 63 per cent lack toilets adapted for children with special needs, the report said.
However, the report noted that only one per cent of schools lack a kitchen for the Mid-Day Meal scheme, indicating relatively better implementation of this program.
The report also highlighted serious deficiencies regarding the student grievance redressal system. Despite being mandatory under the Right to Education Act, complaint and suggestion boxes have been found missing in approximately one-third of the schools.
The report also highlighted a weak monitoring system. It found that field-level Education Department officials were not conducting regular school inspections in accordance with departmental guidelines.
Shortcomings were also observed in the implementation of co-curricular activities and programs related to national integration. According to the report, the ‘One Nation, Great Nation’ programme was not being conducted in 69 per cent of the schools.
Reacting to the report, Sharma said that the Himachal Pradesh government is serious about improving the quality of school education and is committed to addressing all the shortcomings identified during the social audit.
