In a scathing indictment of the educational infrastructure in Haryana, the Haryana Human Rights Commission (HHRC) has initiated suo motu proceedings over the “alarming and inhuman” conditions of government primary schools in Nuh district. The Commission has equated the current state of affairs to a direct violation of the Right to Education, Health, and the fundamental right to live with dignity.
Education amidst cattle and mud
The Full Commission, led by Chairperson Justice Lalit Batra and members Kuldip Jain and Deep Bhatia, highlighted harrowing instances of systemic neglect. In Kubda Bas village, a primary school serving 62 children from Balvatika to Class III operates out of a cattle shed. The premises, loaned by a private landowner due to a lack of government building, houses cows and buffaloes immediately after school hours. Despite daily cleaning, the persistent stench of cattle waste creates a toxic learning environment.
The situation is equally dire in Kalu Bas village where 95 students are taught in an open field with blackboards tied to trees. The Commission noted that these children were exposed to extreme weather, from monsoon mud to winter cold, compromising both their safety and dignity.
Systemic failures and vanishing enrolment
Nuh, a district neighboring the high-tech hub of Gurugram, reportedly has at least 19 schools functioning without any permanent buildings. While 68 new schools were sanctioned in 2020, infrastructure remains non-existent.
HHRC points out failures
Impractical land allotment
In some cases, land identified for schools is located over 3.5 kilometers away from village habitations — a direct violation of the Right to Education (RTE) Act, which mandates a maximum distance of 1 kilometer for primary schools.
Teacher crisis
An acute shortage of educators has led to the appointment of contractual staff from distant districts. Due to long commutes and lack of facilities, many have resigned, further destabilizing the curriculum.
Mass exodus
At one facility, student enrolment has plummeted from 525 to just 200. The remaining students are often crammed into a single, leaking room and taught in batches.
Legal and international violations
The Commission observed that forcing children into dilapidated structures or cattle sheds contravenes India’s international obligations under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (Articles 28 and 29).
“Providing safe, hygienic, and adequate educational infrastructure is not merely an administrative responsibility but a fundamental obligation of the State,” the Commission stated, labeling the situation a “serious systemic failure”.
Chief Secretary and Education Dept summoned
Taking a stern view of the “Cattle Class” conditions, the HHRC has demanded comprehensive reports from the highest levels of the Haryana government, including the Chief Secretary, Principal Secretary and DC and DEO of Nuh.
The Commission has directed all authorities to submit their findings by July 15, one week prior to the next scheduled hearing on July 22.
