Maharashtra: 22,716 zilla parishad school classrooms unsafe, data shows

The minister of state assured the House that a comprehensive plan for repairing zilla parishad school buildings would be prepared, but no specifics were provided. Representation Pic/iStock; (inset) Arundhati Chavan, president of the Parents’ Teachers’ Association United Forum

Minister of State for School Education Pankaj Bhoyar has revealed that 23,973 classrooms in 60,344 zilla parishad schools across Maharashtra require major repairs, while another 22,716 have been declared unsafe for years. The data has sparked criticism from stakeholders, who slammed the government for failing to indicate when the classrooms would be repaired or rebuilt.

Congress MLA from Latur city Amit Deshmukh, on March 24, posed questions in the Assembly regarding the exact number of unsafe classrooms in zilla parishad schools, total funds required for repair and reconstruction, the budgetary provisions made by the government for the current year and finally the estimated timeframe for completing these crucial repairs.

Responding to these queries, Bhoyar presented data from the UDISE+ 2023-2024 report highlighting the scale of the problem but stopped short of offering concrete solutions or a detailed roadmap, Deshmukh alleged. However, Bhoyar assured the House that a comprehensive plan for repairing zilla parishad school buildings would be prepared, but no specifics were provided.

Criticism from Opposition

Deshmukh, a former medical education minister, said, "The information revealed by the minister of state was an eye-opener, exposing the dire state of school infrastructure in Maharashtra. His response indicated that the number of classrooms requiring repairs and those declared unsafe runs into thousands. However, his reply on the way forward and the government's plans was far from satisfactory."

"There is no clear estimate or roadmap on how the government plans to address this crisis. They have no answers on the amount of funds required or the time frame needed to repair and reconstruct these classrooms.

The ministry itself appears clueless. They talk about building and developing digital classrooms, but they first need to ensure basic amenities like clean toilets and reliable electricity. This is an extremely precarious situation, and the government's failure to allocate adequate funds for developing and repairing school infrastructure is appalling," he said.

The legislator added, "There is no intent to resolve this issue with urgency; they are moving at a snail's pace without sufficient funding. Had they prioritised education and school infrastructure the way they do for projects like Shaktipeeth Marg, Samruddhi Mahamarg, or Metro projects, the situation wouldn't have deteriorated to this extent. Unfortunately, sectors like health and education remain at the bottom of this government's priority list, or worse, they seem to be missing from their priorities altogether."

Deshmukh also criticised the Mahayuti government for its failure to implement the landmark RTE Act in the state, inconveniencing not only to students and parents but also private schools. He said, "The government's lack of interest in reimbursing fees to private schools reflects a clear lack of commitment. Private schools are left with no choice but to approach the courts to secure the reimbursements they are entitled to."

‘Data is shocking'

Criticising the school education department, Maytri Nandedkar, academician and principal of a Navi Mumbai school, said, "This is appalling; the education department is sitting on data that shows thousands of classrooms needing urgent repair while many have been declared unsafe. Yet they have failed to give a timeline of how and when they plan to resolve this issue. There are still so many schools in rural Maharashtra which do not have toilets, forget a separate toilet for girls and boys. Before announcing megaprojects, the government needs to first address this problem."

Arundhati Chavan, president of the Parents' Teachers' Association (PTA) United Forum, said, "While we appreciate many of the recent initiatives taken by the school education department, it is shocking to see that we have yet to achieve even the most basic standards. A clean and well-maintained classroom is a fundamental requirement for any school. If we fail to provide that, how can we expect to successfully implement other programmes aimed at improving school education in the state? And how can the much-talked-about Majhi Shala Sundar Shala scheme succeed under such conditions?"

Official Speak

A senior official of the school education department said, "The minister replied to the question asked. It does not mean that the department is not doing anything about it. Repair and construction are ongoing in every district where such classrooms were identified. We have to carry out this project in a phase-wise manner."