New Delhi (PTI): Two-thirds of the elementary schools in states like Arunachal Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh are functioning without headmasters, a study has revealed.
States like Maharashtra, Goa and Karnataka have no headmasters in over 65 per cent of schools.
Seventy per cent of schools in as many as seven states are without toilet facilities and 20 per cent elementary schools in over 10 states have no drinking water facilities, leaving children in pitiable condition for hours, the study said.
Arunachal Pradesh topped the list with more than 90 per cent of elementary schools running without a school head and 78 per cent schools without toilet facilities, it said.
The study, compiled by National University of Educational Planning and Administration based on the District Information System for Education data for 2007-08, was tabled in Parliament last week.
Minister of State for HRD M A A Fatmi had said in Parliament that 12.28 lakh teachers, 2.65 lakh toilets and 1.93 lakh drinking water facilities have been sanctioned under Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan till date.
On the large vacant posts of headmasters, he said they are appointed by the state governments as per their rules and regulations.
According to a latest UNESCO report, India is at the 102nd position in the 'education for all development index' out of 129 countries.
The date for the study was collected from all the 35 states and union territories.
In Maghalaya, half of the elementary schools had no access to drinking water supply, and over 73 per cent of the schools in Assam did not have toilets, a key element contributing to the high drop-out rate among girls.
Gujarat emerged as the only state where just 7 per cent of schools function without headmasters and 12 per cent of the schools are without drinking water facilities.
Delhi, on the other hand, had only 17 per cent of the schools without headmasters, nine per cent without toilets and less than one per cent without drinking water facilities.
Neighbouring Uttar Pradesh fared relatively better with a little over two per cent of the schools having no water supply.
The picture remained the same for all other states except for Lakshadweep, which emerged the only state with all the schools having drinking water facilities.
Sources in the HRD ministry admitted that though the budget allocation for the 11th Five Year plan has been enhanced to 1.84 lakh crore, the progress was yet to match expectations.
However, access to primary and upper primary schools has improved considerably over the years with 98 per cent of children having access to primary school and over 86 per cent to upper primary schools in 2005-06, they said.
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