The High Court has come down heavily on the ”sorry state of affairs” of government schools in Karnataka, many of which lack basic infrastructure like drinking water and toilets. Referring to the data submitted by amicus curiae K N Phanindra, the court observed that 464 government schools did not have toilets and 87 did not have drinking water at a time when private institutions are providing mineral water to their students.
All schools had toilets only in seven districts, namely, Chamarajanagara, Dakshina Kannada, Udupi, Uttara Kannada, Hassan, Kodagu and Mysuru. Kalaburagi topped the list of districts where students had no access to toilets and drinking water.
This is not the first time that government schools have come under judicial scrutiny. In 2010, the court had directed the government to set up an expert committee to go into the problems faced by schools, prepare a scientific plan and submit a report within three months.
Again, in 2019, the High Court had sought a response from the government after a sample survey conducted by the State Legal Services Authority pointed to the deplorable condition of schools. Besides the usual lack of toilets and safe drinking water, the report found that many schools did not provide access for the specially abled. Evidently, nothing seems to have changed over the years.
While education is a fundamental right according to the Constitution, the Right to Education Act makes it incumbent upon the state government to provide basic infrastructure, including an all-weather building with barrier-free access, separate toilets for boys and girls, safe drinking water, and a library and playground. But often, they exist only on paper. Most students in these schools are from disadvantaged groups, weaker sections and socially and educationally backward classes.
Though the state is charged by the Constitution with providing good quality elementary education, government schools are in no way comparable to private institutions in terms of infrastructure and quality of teaching. This amounts to discrimination against the poorest of the poor. The High Court is likely to take a dim view of the continued non-compliance by the government and perhaps haul the officers concerned for contempt.
Unfortunately, the government does not treat education as a core sector, with the budgetary allocation hovering around just 12%. The new government, particularly Primary and Secondary Education Minister Madhu Bangarappa, should immediately address this problem and ensure that government schools are in no way inferior to private ones. Unless the less privileged sections are provided with high quality education, they will not be able to compete with those coming out of private institutions when it comes to higher education and jobs.