A Delhi High Court-appointed panel of lawyers to look into safety aspects of schools here has said that “infrastructure of schools is in a dilapidated state”.
The report, submitted by advocate Ashok Agarwal, who was appointed by the court as amicus curiae to assist in the case.
The report said that “thousands of children continue to take classes in blocks which have already been declared dangerous, in anticipation of new building some day”.
Mr. Agarwal, who has inspected six schools till now, said, “The condition of blackboards is degrading, thus hardly visible. Classrooms are overcrowded, gloomy and sultry.”
“All washrooms for girls have non-functioning latches,” the report said, adding that girls are particularly vulnerable to dropping out of school partly because many are reluctant to continue their education when toilets and washing facilities are not “private or safe”.
The report said the student-teacher ratio is “very high” in schools, affecting vigilance of students. “In a large classroom setting, behavioural problems can rapidly escalate,” it said.
The report also pointed at lack of special educators in schools for students with disabilities.
“Rate of absenteeism is surprisingly high in schools — nearly 25% in each school,” the report added.
Mr. Agarwal suggested that “picketing and effective police surveillance in the vicinity of the schools should happen on a regular basis for the safety of students and to prevent crimes against children”.