Rajasthan government schools plagued by roofs, toilets and teacher shortages, TOI finds

TOI reporters surveyed government schools in six Rajasthan districts after a CJP delegation was turned away in Jaipur, uncovering a system where children learn under tin sheds, in rented kiosks or even a farmer’s two-room house. In Kota, a primary school of 78 pupils operates from municipal parking kiosks with three deputed teachers and no sanctioned posts. A PWD survey in the district listed 61 ruined buildings and hundreds of unsafe classrooms.

Across Barmer, Jaisalmer and Balotra, some schools have no structures at all, and senior-secondary streams lack teachers after mass transfers. In Piplodi, Jhalawar, classes continue in a farmer’s home a year after a roof collapse killed seven children. State data indicate 611 schools own no building, 2,047 lack toilets, 1,049 lack drinking water and 3,768 buildings are completely dilapidated, while 1.5 lakh teacher vacancies persist. The BJP-led government announced a Rs 12,000 crore three-year investment in schools, yet only 10-15% of the education budget goes to infrastructure, and most new construction has been slow.