January 5th 2025.
Debadurllav Harichandan, a member of the Odisha Police, shared some concerning information about the state's education system. Despite having a surplus of power for the past four years, a significant number of schools have been struggling with electricity shortages. The Unified District Information System for Education Survey of 2023-24, recently released by the Ministry of Education, reported that out of 2,182 schools, 1,672 of them were government schools that faced issues with power supply. On the other hand, private schools seemed to fare better, with only 90 schools facing similar problems.
This report has brought attention to the alarming state of school infrastructure in Odisha, starting from pre-primary to secondary education. It was found that 611 girls' schools, including 308 government schools and 47 private schools, were lacking basic facilities like toilets. This number has increased from 514 schools in the previous year. The situation was even worse for boys, as 1,159 schools in the state did not have toilets on their premises.
The UDISE+ report also highlighted that a majority of schools, approximately 23,387, did not have access to clean drinking water. This was particularly concerning as 20,257 of those schools were government-run. In addition, the report noted that only 24.9% of schools in Odisha had personal computers and desktops, falling short of the national average of 32.4% in 2023-24. Among these, only 16.1% were government schools, while the remaining belonged to private institutions.
The state's virtual education system was also not up to the mark, with only 17,008 schools having functional smart classrooms. This number was further divided, with a mere 25.5% of government schools having access to such classrooms. Moreover, only 14.1% of schools in Odisha had digital libraries, including 5,950 government schools and 685 private schools. The report also revealed that only 6.3% of schools in the state had integrated teaching learning devices, which are crucial tools for educators to conduct tests and lessons. This figure was significantly lower than the national average of 8.1%. Private schools seemed to have made some progress in this aspect, with 1,213 schools having these devices.
These statistics bring to light the urgent need for the government to address the shortcomings in the education system of Odisha and work towards providing better facilities for students in both government and private schools.
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