Hearing on a public interest litigation regarding the questionable quality of primary school education, the HC of Uttarakhand has directed the education secretary to appear before the court on June 22. According to case details, Dehradun resident Deepak Rana had filed a PIl in the high court stating that the state’s primary schools were in a bad shape. Such schools suffer from shortage of teachers and damaged state of buildings.
Midday meals are not served daily to students in such primary schools which also lack adequate furniture for the children. The petitioner had further stated that such schools lacked proper water facility and even the books were not available on time. Hearing on the petition in the past, the court had on November 26, 2016 issued 10-point guidelines to the state government. The court had directed that water facility be provided in government schools, in addition to which midday meals should also be facilitated for all eligible students. Computers, books, uniforms and toilets should also be facilitated in the schools, the court had stated in the guidelines. During hearing of the petition before the division bench of justices Rajiv Sharma and Alok Singh on Tuesday, the petitioner’s advocate told the court that its orders issued in the past had not been implemented by the state. The HC division bench has directed the education secretary to appear before the court on June 22.