Bengal drags feet on school infrastructure

The report also said that girls have an usable toilet only in 26.5 per cent schools. Nationally,about 37 per cent schools have proper toilets for girls.

The ASER report for 2010 was released in Delhi by President M Hamid Ansari on January 16. On Wednesday,the ASER representatives released the parameters about infrastructure. The report has been based on a survey of 20 villages across each district of the state.

As per the provisions of the RTE Act,each school should have a playground,a fence or a boundary wall,library and drinking water facilities. Since the Act came into force last April,it is the responsibility of the state government to provide all these facilities.

“We are coming up with 2,000 playgrounds,where land next to the school will be taken to make a playground,” said school Education Minister Partha De.

De said while in urban areas,there is hardly any land for fence or playground,the problem is surfacing in rural areas too. “Meeting these parameters in existing schools is not easy,but since it is a law,we have to implement it,” the minister said.

The report,which ascertains the out-of-school children and their learning abilities,says although in Bengal,the learning abilities are better than the national average,the number of out-of-school children is still more in the state.

While nationally,about 3.5 per cent children in the 6-14 year age group are out of school,in Bengal the figure is 4.6 per cent.