Jaipur: The Rajasthan High Court Thursday pulled up the state govt over dilapidated govt school buildings and lack of basic facilities, while stressing the need for public participation to improve infrastructure.A division bench of Justice Mahendra Kumar Goyal and Justice Ashok Kumar Jain observed that while individuals can construct houses at relatively lower costs, govt projects often incur disproportionately high expenses. Suggesting community participation, the court noted that even basic needs like cupboards in schools were arranged through local cooperation.The bench directed the state to upload a list of schools in the public domain, saying ‘potential donors would come forward on their own.’ It also reiterated that no school should function without a safety audit and expressed concern over the feasibility of committees inspecting nearly 1 lakh schools.Advocate general Rajendra Prasad informed the court that provisions under the National Education Policy (NEP) would be used to facilitate safety checks. “The safety certification of schools would be completed before July,” he assured.The court also advised the govt to coordinate with stakeholders to find practical solutions and directed that repair works be carried out through PWD.
