58 Beed ZP schools function without buildings, many hold classes under trees & in temples

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: As monsoon rainfall lashes Beed district, students from 58 zilla parishad-run schools attend classes in community halls, temples, and rented spaces, while some schools suspend teaching entirely.

In summer, teaching shifts outdoors, with students sitting under trees and teachers holding lessons in the open.All these 58 schools are reeling under severe infrastructure gaps, including no buildings at all, a Beed Zilla Parishad survey has revealed.ZP Primary School in Kalegaon Thadi, under the Takarwan centre in Majalgaon tehsil, often holds classes under a tree. Similar conditions exist in nearby villages also, where classes are held in rented rooms, community halls and other temporary spaces because permanent buildings are unavailable. “We have more than 2,600 ZP schools in the district. Our survey identified 58 schools with serious infrastructure issues, including some that do not have buildings at all,” Beed ZP chief executive officer Jithin Rahman told TOI.Rahman said the administration had changed its approach to infrastructure funding. “Earlier, local MLAs would suggest which schools should receive development funds. Now, we have decided to prioritise schools based on actual need. Where there are no sheds or classrooms, teaching is being conducted in Samaj Mandirs and community halls. Construction work has already started at 20 schools, and the remaining schools will be covered in the next phase of funding,” he said.

The district has received Rs 28 crore for the works, which are currently under way.Data from the Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan paints an equally troubling picture. Of Beed’s 2,468 ZP schools, as many as 290 require urgent classroom repairs, while 313 classrooms have been declared dilapidated and unsafe. The district also needs 64 new classrooms, taking the total requirement for construction and repairs to 475 classrooms.Officials said the crisis was compounded by a land shortage at 11 of the 58 schools without buildings, making rehabilitation and infrastructure planning particularly challenging.The crumbling state of school infrastructure has become a growing concern for parents too, many of whom hesitate to enrol their children in ZP schools despite these institutions being the backbone of education in rural areas. In recent years, photographs and videos showing children studying under trees or inside unsafe classrooms have repeatedly surfaced on social media, drawing attention to the plight of ZP-run schools in Beed.In an effort to bridge the infrastructure gap, the Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan has prepared a Rs 69.5-crore educational infrastructure development plan. The proposal earmarks Rs 57 crore for the construction of 475 classrooms and Rs 12.5 crore for repairs in 290 schools.District authorities said the funds would be released and utilised in phases, with schools facing the most acute infrastructure shortages being given top priority. Till then, however, hundreds of children across Beed will continue to pursue their education in makeshift classrooms, waiting for the day when a proper school building replaces the shade of a tree.