Nitish govt faces CAG flak for affairs in secondary education

Updated on: Saturday, July 23, 2011

The Comptroller and Auditor General of India has castigated the Nitish Kumar government for the state of affairs in secondary education in the state.

Talking to reporters here, Principal Accountant General of Bihar, Preman Dinaraj today said though the enrolment of students increased by 60 per cent in the state during 2005-10, the implementation of secondary education programme suffered
right from the planning stage due to lack of reliable data, absence of long term plans and realistic annual plans of operations.

Savings in plan budget ranged between 28 and 82 per cent during 2005-10, Dinaraj said.

Despite provision of separate fund of Rs 1404 crore under strengthening of plus two education, the upgradations were done without considering the availability of qualified teachers, classroom, laboratories and other infrastructural facilities, he said quoting the CAG report for the period that ended on March 31, 2010.

There was gross mismatch between number of classroom, bench-desks and number of students enrolled in the 241 test-checked schools.

In 139 schools there was one classroom for 70 to 408 students, while in 51 schools only one classroom was available for two to four sections. In 64 schools only one bench-desk was available for 7 to 15 students while in 18 schools 16 to 41 students were left with single bench to sit on.

The CAG in its report said in 22 schools checked, one school had nine teachers but no students, whereas in four
others the number of students ranged from 141 to 741 without a single teacher.

Dinaraj, quoting CAG report, said that against the required number of 58760 teachers in the state as per Common Education Commissions report, the sanctioned strength of teachers was 34223 against which 26631 teachers were available in the state.

Even subject-wise teachers, so important at the secondary level, were not available in most of the test-checked schools, he said.

Computer and vocational education remained negligible at the secondary school level despite emphasis on these streams in the National Policy on Education, the CAG report said.

There was no data regarding anticipated enrollment, number of sanctioned posts, infrastructure or even the number of time bound proposals for opening of new schools under the district education officer.

Even the girls high schools project have not started in any block after 1985, it added.

Nitish govt faces CAG flak for affairs in secondary education

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