Sir,
This has reference to the article ‘Educational infrastructure in rural schools’ by Dr Kavita Suri, DE Jan 7, 2017 wherein it is said that lack of school infrastructure is responsible for the dropout/thin enrolment in rural areas.
The author has pinpointed the grey areas without which it is difficult to run an institution.
Poor infrastructure, lack of public trust in teachers teaching in Govt school though highly qualified, craze of seeking admission for their wards in some private school of the town or some other international schools may be the other factors responsible for the dropout and continue decline in the strength of these rural schools.
However, it has been that the Village Education Committees (VEC) that is supposed to supervise construction of buildings, become contractors themselves. This goes against the prevalent rules.
It may be said here that VEC’s job is to supervise and not to act as a contractor and to certify the contractor’s task at different stages based on which the payment is released by the school authority. The school authority as is said is assisted by a JE may be on technical ground.
When VEC takes contract on their own then there remains no supervisory control over VEC. This leads to the monopoly of VEC.
So for as the development of infrastructure in rural area is concerned it requires true and earnest effort on the part of VEC to allot work to the professional contractor who possesses the required certificate of performing Govt work.
There is also need to take care of other facilities in schools. Unless all facilities are provided school functioning will not improve.
Yours etc…
Dr Surinder Gupta
B/27 Bharat Nagar
Talab Tillo
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