Shimla, June 19 -- A recent social audit of government schools under the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) in Chamba has revealed widespread deficiencies in infrastructure, basic amenities and student safety. Researchers from Himachal Pradesh University (HPU) conducted a social audit of 342 of 1,636- approximately 20% - schools in Chamba district, including institutions in the remote tribal region of Bharmour. The team from HPU is conducting comprehensive social audit on, state government's orders, across all districts and the findings will be submitted to the state government after one month. Randir Ranta, department of interdisciplinary studies, HPU, who led the social audit, presented the findings during a public hearing held in Chamba town on Thursday, where more than 600 stakeholders, including parents, teachers, school management committee (SMC) members, local representatives, and education officials were present. "The performance of Chamba's school education system is disappointing when measured against the quality education standards guaranteed to every child under the Right to Education Act. Around 16% of schools don't have separate toilets for girls, while 17% lack access to drinking water facilities. 3% of the schools lack kitchens for the mid-day meal programme," said Ranta. According to the report, nearly one-third of the schools surveyed lack adequate classroom space and sufficient rooms for teaching and non-teaching staff, severely affecting the delivery of educational services. Around 50% of the institutions were found to be without adequate furniture, forcing many students to study without proper seating arrangements. "Student safety also emerged as a major concern. More than half of the schools do not have boundary walls or fencing. Nearly 85% of schools are located in areas that are not connected by motorable roads, forcing students to walk long distances and creating additional barriers for children with disabilities," said Ranta. An audit team member, Himanshu said it also exposed significant gaps in menstrual hygiene management. "More than 90% of schools don't provide sanitary pads to adolescent girls," he said. The audit further noted that none of the schools had access to professional counselling services. Additionally, no school was found to have adequate facilities for children with special needs, the audit reveals. Library facilities were also found wanting, with over 80% of schools failing to meet prescribed norms and specifications. The report pointed to weak monitoring and governance mechanisms, observing that lower-ranking education officials were not conducting school visits as frequently as mandated under departmental guidelines. Another area of concern highlighted in the report was the poor implementation of co-curricular and national integration programmes. The audit found that the "One Nation, Great Nation" programme was not being followed in a majority of schools. Participants at the public hearing called for urgent corrective measures to address the deficiencies identified by the audit. Parents and community members stressed the need for improved infrastructure, enhanced monitoring, better transport connectivity, and greater accountability within the education system....