Over 49 per cent of government-run schools in slum clusters in Odisha’s capital city of Bhubaneswar are short of teachers, adversely affecting the classroom teaching.

A study on “Status of School Infrastructure in Government Schools” conducted by Bhubaneswar Bikash Sangathan (BBS) and NGO Atmashakti Trust revealed the sorry state of affairs in school education.

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The study, which covered 135 schools, found that many schools in the area are not compliant to the Right to Education (RTE) guidelines.

Over 49.61 per cent of government schools in Bhubaneswar slums face a shortage of teachers against the sanctioned number as per RTE norms.

Moreover, 58.50 per cent of schools surveyed need class-appropriate classrooms, affecting students’ learning outcomes, the study pointed out.

Eleven per cent of schools in Bhubaneswar slums face water-related issues, with three percent having no access to drinking water facilities and five percent having damaged sources, the study report stated.

The survey report revealed that 1.48 per cent of schools need toilet facilities, leading to irregular attendance, particularly for girls.

Additionally, 5.18 per cent of schools need separate toilets for boys and girls, and 2.22 per cent of school toilets need more water facilities, making them unusable.

The report also found that 11.11 per cent of schools lacked playgrounds, and 8.88 per cent didn’t have a boundary wall, which is crucial for student safety and well-being.

Many of the schools do not have libraries and close to 28 per cent of the surveyed schools need computers, the report concluded.