Haryana right's panel alarmed over 'grave' condition of govt schools in Nuh

The Haryana Human Rights Commission HHRC has taken serious note of the alarming conditions in government primary schools in Nuh district and initiated suo motu proceedings. Government Primary School, Kubda Bas village, is reportedly operating from a cattle shed where approximately 29 boys and 33 girls from Balvatika pre-primary to Class 3 are studying.

The Haryana Human Rights Commission (HHRC) has taken serious note of the alarming conditions in government primary schools in Nuh district and initiated suo motu proceedings. Acting on news reports published on May 6, the commission sought detailed reports from the authorities. The HHRC observed that the conditions highlighted in the reports were extremely grave and prima facie amounted to serious violations of children's rights to education, health, and dignified living. According to the facts placed before the commission comprising Chairperson Justice Lalit Batra and members Kuldip Jain and Deep Bhatia, several government primary schools in Nuh's Ferozepur Jhirka area are functioning without proper buildings. Government Primary School, Kubda Bas village, is reportedly operating from a cattle shed where approximately 29 boys and 33 girls from 'Balvatika' (pre-primary) to Class 3 are studying. After school hours, cows and buffaloes are tied on the premises where cattle fodder is also stored. Despite cleaning the premises, a foul smell persists, adversely affecting children's health and learning environment. It has been reported that the school, reportedly one of at least 19 in the district, operates without buildings on private land with temporary permission. Similarly, the Government Primary School in Kalu Bas village operates in an open field. About 45 boys and 50 girls are taught using blackboards tied to trees. During the monsoon, the entire field becomes muddy. In the winter, children are forced to study in extreme cold, making learning highly unsafe. The HHRC said reports revealed that although 68 new schools were sanctioned in Nuh district in 2020, several schools still lack basic infrastructure. In many cases, the land identified for schools is situated far from villages. In the May 7 order, the commission also expressed serious concern regarding the acute shortage of teachers. To address the shortage, contractual teachers were appointed through Haryana Kaushal Rozgar Nigam from distant districts such as Bahadurgarh, Rewari and Mahendergarh. These teachers do not visit schools regularly, which hampers teaching. The commission observed that, as far as practicable, teachers should be appointed from local or nearby areas to ensure regular attendance and better community coordination. In its order, the HHRC observed that forcing children to study in cattle sheds, open fields, or dilapidated structures violates children's human rights and directly contravenes provisions of the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009. The act mandates that primary schools must be located within 1 km of habitation. The commission observed that the present conditions are inconsistent with India's international obligations under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. In particular, Article 28 recognises the child's right to education, while Article 29 emphasises the need for a safe and dignified environment for developing children's personality, talent and physical and mental abilities. The commission observed that ensuring education in a secure and conducive environment is essential for the physical, mental and overall development of children. The present matter reflects a serious systemic failure in safeguarding the basic rights of children in Nuh district and therefore requires immediate intervention and remedial action. The commission has sought detailed reports from the authorities of the Haryana government, including the Chief Secretary, Principal Secretary of the School Education Department and the Deputy Commissioner, District Education Officer of Nuh district. The commission sought reports from authorities on several points, including a clear, time-bound action plan to ensure proper school infrastructure and compliance with statutory norms in district Nuh, the present status of infrastructure in the concerned schools and other matters. Assistant Registrar of the HHRC, Dr Puneet Arora, said authorities have been directed to submit detailed reports at least one week before the next date of hearing, that is, July 22.