Over 75 pc schools in Odisha don't have electricity connection

Over 75 percent of the primary schools in the state do not have electricity connection which has seriously affected computer education of the students.

BHUBANESHWAR: Over 75 percent of the primary schools in the state do not have electricity connection which has seriously affected computer education of the students.

In a written reply to a question during the winter session of the assembly which concluded on Thursday, school and mass education minister Debi Prasad Mishra admitted that 42,691 schools under the
department do not have electricity connection.

The school and mass education department has 56,674 primary and upper primary schools. These include 4710 high schools which have primary and upper primary classes. However, only 13,983 schools
out of these have electricity connection. The minister admitted that 75.33 percent of the schools under the department do not have electricity connection.

According to the minister, there are 9671 high schools under the school and mass education department out of which 3016 do not have electricity connection. This means about 31 percent of the high schools do not have power.

The minister put the blame on the managing committees of the schools by saying that these committees make arrangements for electrification. He, however, claimed that provision for generators have been made for the schools which do not have electricity.

The minister had also admitted about the poor infrastructure in schools replying to several questions. About 87 percent primary and upper primary schools do not have a teacher for every class while 80 percent of the schools do not have a room for every class. Besides, 39,635 schools do not have own play grounds, 17,763 do not have boundaries and 376 schools do not have own buildings.

BJP leader Dilip Ray alleged that in the agenda papers for the 11th inter-state council meeting it was mentioned that in Odisha 100 percent schools have been electrified. The agenda papers also claimed that 40.27 percent of the high schools in Odisha have electricity.

The BJP leader alleged that as the agenda papers of the inter state   council meeting are prepared by the union home ministry basing on the information provided by the state government, the Odisha
government had provided wrong information in this regard.