Only 14% of required classroom built in Gujarat within 2 years

The Gujarat education department was able to construct only 14 per cent of the required 19,128 classrooms in a span of two years, the state Assembly was informed on Monday.

The state government presented the information in the House in response to series of questions asked during the ongoing budget session.

Education Minister Jitu Vaghani informed the House that against the requirement of 19,128 classrooms in various primary schools, the state government was able to build only 2,714 during the last two years.

The opposition party Congress said that the requirement of classrooms in the state's primary schools has constantly been on the rise. In 2015, a total of 8,388 class deficit was reported where as in 2018, the requirement shot up to 16,008 whereas in 2021, a total of 18,537 classroom requirement of classrooms were reported.

"In the year 2022, a total of 19,128 classrooms requirement was reported. In two years, the government has constructed 2,714 classrooms for the primary section of the government schools, asserted the education minister.

The minister further informed that not a single classroom was constructed in Dangs, Narmada and Tapi districts the same period, against the requirement of 154, 183 and 162 respectively. Four classrooms were constructed in Gir-Somnath in 2019-20, against the requirement of 188 classrooms.

The highest number of classroom deficit is been reported in a Dahod district where classroom deficit is 1,677 against which only 66 classrooms have been constructed during the same time.

Similarly, against a series of questions put up by the Congress legislators for facilities like electricity, compound walls in primary schools, the education minister informed the house that a total of 23 schools were devoid of power supply and 5,439 government primary schools and 272 private primary schools were devoid of compound walls, across the state.