CHANDIGARH:
Punjab tops the list of
states in the country
when it comes to
providing infrastructure
and facilities to
primary and upper
primary
schools.
Punjab has eclipsed
Delhi on this count. The
infrastructure index for
Punjab is 0.917, as
compared to the figure
for Delhi- 0.909.
Punjab education
minister Upinderjit Kaur
claimed the figures are
based on educational
development index (EDI)
prepared by
National
University
of Educational Planning
and Administration (NUEPA),
an organization
established by Ministry
of human resource
development, government
of India, dealing with
capacity-building and
research in planning and
management of education
in south Asia.
According to an analysis
by NUEPA, the 2007-08
figures account for
18,508 government
schools in Punjab. And
65.23% of these schools
have playgrounds, 88.38%
have the facility of
common toilets while
86.09% of them have
girls’ toilets. This is
higher as compared to
Delhi where 74.15% of
the schools have girls’
toilets. Drinking water
is available to 96.68%
of the schools and
electricity is available
in 83.65% of them. About
40.92% schools have the
facility of ramps.
According to this
study,
96.32% state schools
have been running in
government buildings
whereas 96.45% schools
have buildings.
Pupil-teacher ratio is
less than 40 in 71.97%
of the schools and
ranges between 40 and 50
in 17.11% of them. There
were 54,875 classrooms
in all, out of which,
the state could boast of
72.14% ‘good-condition’
rooms. The state schools
have a workforce of
50,793 teachers and
5,332 head teachers.
There are about 64%
female teachers in the
state. According to
2007-08 DISE data,
enrolment of boys in
schools is 10,77,613 and
of girls is 9,63,730. It
means that for every 1,000
boys, there are 894
girls in schools, it was
added.