Kolkata, July 31 -- West Bengal's implementation of the Centrally-sponsored 'Samagra Shiksha scheme' was hit by the delayed release of Rs 2,428 crore, while higher secondary schools faced a shortage of 3,684 teachers, the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) has found.

The audit also found that Rs 395 crore worth of works remained unexecuted.

The findings are part of the Performance Audit on Implementation of Samagra Shiksha in West Bengal for the year ended March 2024, tabled in the state Assembly on July 25, 2026. Covering 2019-20 to 2023-24, the audit flagged gaps in planning, staffing, infrastructure, learning outcomes and monitoring.

Only 29 per cent of primary schools and 30 per cent of upper primary schools met the prescribed pupil-teacher ratio. Higher secondary schools were short of 3,684 teachers, while teacher training utilisation was just 1.19 per cent.

About 12 per cent of primary and upper primary schools and 56 per cent of secondary and higher secondary schools had adverse student-classroom ratios. Delays in constructing hostels for Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalayas rendered Rs 10.46 crore infructuous, while some upper primary schools remained non-functional. The audit found that 10-13 per cent of Class X students and 12-17 per cent of Class XII students failed Board examinations during the audit period. Around 35 per cent of students scored below 40 per cent in Mathematics and Science competency tests.

Children with special needs were denied transport and escort allowances in several districts, while the State faced a shortage of 33,835 special educators, or 95 per cent of the requirement. Teacher shortages in Shishu Shiksha Kendras and poor coordination with the National Child Labour Project also affected efforts to mainstream out-of-school children.

The CAG also found that the Paschim Banga Samagra Shiksha Mission had not prepared prospective plans. District Level Committees were absent in all test-checked districts, while School Management Committees were missing in 35 to 84 per cent of the schools examined, weakening oversight of the scheme.

Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.