Dharamshala, June 24 -- A recent social audit of the Samagra Shiksha Scheme in government schools across Himachal's Bilaspur district has uncovered significant deficiencies in infrastructure, student safety, accessibility, governance, and educational quality, raising serious concerns about the effective implementation of the Right to Education (RTE) Act. The findings were presented during a public hearing held in Bilaspur on Tuesday, attended by more than 600 stakeholders, including parents, teachers, school management committee (SMC) members, elected representatives, education officials, and members of the local community. Deputy director (Education Quality) Nisha Gupta also participated in the hearing and reviewed the audit report. The social audit was conducted by a team from Himachal Pradesh University (HPU), Shimla, under the leadership of Randhir Ranta. The team assessed 154 schools-nearly 20%-of the district's 809 government schools, with the remaining institutions scheduled to be covered in four subsequent phases. The social audit report will now be submitted to the state education department for further action. Presenting the report, Ranta said the primary objective of the audit was to promote transparency, accountability, and community participation in the education system while improving the quality of education. "For preparing this social audit report, we crisscrossed the entire Bilaspur district. More than 175 questions covering six key components necessary for quality education were examined. The report points to numerous challenges and gaps in the school education system. The performance of many schools falls short of the quality standards guaranteed under the Right to Education Act," he said. One of the most striking findings of the audit was related to school infrastructure. According to the report, none of the surveyed school buildings fully met the infrastructure standards prescribed under the RTE Act. According to the report, nearly 40% of schools were found to lack adequate classroom space and sufficient rooms for teaching and non-teaching staff, while around 44% of schools were reported to have inadequate furniture. Student safety emerged as another major concern. More than 35% of schools had not constituted School Safety Committees. The report further revealed that 56% of schools lacked boundary walls or fencing. "More than half of the schools in Bilaspur do not have boundary walls or fencing, posing safety and security threats, especially for girls," said Bachan Singh, a member of the HPU social audit team. Accessibility for children with disabilities was found to be severely inadequate. Nearly 74% of schools lacked barrier-free access, while 85% did not have toilets designed for children with special needs. The audit, however, noted relatively satisfactory implementation of the mid-day meal scheme, with only 1% of schools lacking kitchen facilities. Members of the audit team also highlighted menstrual hygiene management as a neglected area. "More than 14% of schools do not provide sanitary pads to adolescent girls despite the importance of such facilities in ensuring regular attendance and protecting their health and dignity," Bachan Singh said. On a positive note, library infrastructure was found to be comparatively strong, with more than 90% of schools meeting prescribed norms and standards. Responding to the findings, Nisha Gupta acknowledged the shortcomings and assured corrective action. "Bilaspur district has made several achievements in improving the quality of education, but there are some gaps highlighted by the report which we will overcome. While the district's overall performance has been fairly good, we are committed to rectifying all shortcomings identified during the audit," Gupta said....