NHRC seeks report from CS on plight of schools in TG

Hyderabad : The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has called for a report from the TG government on plight of schools in the State.

The Commission's action comes following a complaint lodged by Sravan Vurappali from the city, alleging that the conditions of government-run schools are appalling and detrimental to the well-being and educational development of students in most parts of Telangana.

The complaint highlighted lack of basic infrastructure like adequate classrooms, functioning toilets, clean drinking water facilities and safe playgrounds. Sanitary conditions in several schools are extremely poor, posing serious health risks to both students and the staff.

Also, "schools don’t have any budget to hire scavengers/workers required to keep school premises clean."

Also, there are no qualified teachers in most schools, causing overcrowded classrooms and compromised learning experiences. Besides, the quality of food is allegedly unhygienic and sometimes many living creatures appear in food of students, the complaint noted.

Following this, the NHRC, in its notice to the State Chief Secretary on Thursday said the complainant highlights a noticeable deficiency in essential educational resources such as textbooks, laboratory equipment and teaching aids, hindering effective teaching and learning. Some schools face security challenges, making them unsafe for both students and teachers.

Against this background, the commission sought for a report within four weeks. It warned that it would be constrained to invoke coercive process u/s 13 of the Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993, calling for a personal appearance of the authority concerned for submission of the report if it is not received within the stipulated time.