School headmaster in Uttar Pradesh turns classrooms into poultry farm during summer vacation

The level of quality of education in India reached a new low when it was reportedly found that a headmaster, of a primary school in Darshanpur in Rampur district of Uttar Pradesh, was running a poultry farm in the classrooms of the school during summer vacations. The Times of India reported that other livestock of the villagers were also found tethered in the school premises. [caption id=“attachment_3657633” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Representational image. AFP[/caption] The headmaster has now been suspended and an investigation has been ordered after the district magistrate found out about the incident. This incident should explain a part of the reason why a report by the Comptroller and Auditor General in March this year had concluded that the number of students enrolled in government-run primary and upper primary schools in Uttar Pradesh has declined from 3.71 crore in 2012-13 to 3.64 crore in 2015-16. Enrolments in private-unaided schools increased by 36.5 percent between 2010 and 2016, whereas government schools registered a decline of 18.6 percent. The CAG report also stated that on an average, there were 20 lakh drop-outs every year between 2010 and 2016. The CAG also found that 6.22 lakh children in the state were not provided school books during 2012-16, despite it receiving adequate funds under the Sarva Siksha Abhiyan (SSA). The state-run schools had a shortage of 1.75 lakh teachers as against the sanctioned strength of 7.60 lakh. With inputs from PTI