Dharamshala, June 20 -- A recent social audit of schools operating under the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) in Kangra district has revealed major deficiencies in infrastructure, student safety, basic amenities, governance and educational quality, raising concerns over the effective implementation of the Right to Education (RTE) Act in Himachal's largest district. The findings were presented during a public hearing held in Dharamshala on Friday, attended by over 2,000 stakeholders, including parents, teachers, School Management Committee (SMC) members, elected representatives, education officials and community members along with deputy commissioner (DC), Hemraj Bhairwa. These are expected to be submitted to the state education department for further action. The social audit was conducted by a team from Himachal Pradesh University (HPU) under the leadership of Randhir Ranta. The team assessed 519 schools, nearly 20% of the district's 2,364 schools. The remaining institutions will be covered in four subsequent phases of the audit. Presenting the report, Ranta said the findings highlight significant shortcomings affecting the quality of education being delivered to children. "This comprehensive report points to numerous challenges and gaps in the school education system. The performance of Kangra's schools falls short of the quality standards guaranteed under the Right to Education Act," hesaid. According to the audit, nearly 44% of the surveyed schools lack adequate classroom space and sufficient rooms for teaching and non-teaching staff. Around 27% of schools were found to have inadequate furniture, forcing many students to study without proper seating arrangements. Student safety emerged as one of the most serious concerns. More than 78% of schools do not have boundary walls or fencing. The audit further found that nearly 65% of schools are located in areas without motorable road access, forcing students to walk long distances and creating additional barriers for children with disabilities. The report also highlighted gaps in basic facilities. About 9% of schools do not have separate toilets for girls, while an equal number lack access to drinking water. Around 2% of schools surveyed do not have kitchens for the mid-day meal programme. Members of social audit team said menstrual hygiene management remains a neglected area. "More than 40% of schools do not provide sanitary pads to adolescent girls, despite the importance of such facilities for ensuring regular attendance and safeguarding their health and dignity," said Himanshu, an audit team member. The audit identified serious shortcomings in child protection and grievance redressal mechanisms. Mandatory school safety committees have not been constituted in nearly one-third of the schools surveyed, while complaint and suggestion boxes were also absent in about one-third of the institutions. The report further revealed that none of schools surveyed had access to professional counselling services. It also found a lack of adequate facilities for children with special needs. Moreover, the library infrastructure was another area of concern, with more than 80% of schools failing to meetprescribed norms and standards. The audit also pointed to weak monitoring mechanisms, observing that lower-level education officials were not conducting school visits as frequently as required under departmental guidelines....