Over 34,000 Odisha schools lack toilet, drinking water facilities

As many as 90 schools in Odisha do not have blackboards and 34,394 schools have no toilet and drinking water facilities till March last year, the state Assembly was informed on Wednesday.

Besides, 35,769 schools have no electricity till 2018 -19 financial year, School and Mass Education Minister Samir Ranjan Dash said while replying to a question.

He said 37,645 schools in the state do not have playgrounds, 2,451 schools have no library facility and 16,368 schools have no boundary walls.

Besides schools run by the school and mass education department, the state has institutes managed by the SC&ST department. There are also government-aided schools under private management. The minister's written reply did not mention under which category these schools fall.

Dash, however, said 51,434 primary, upper primary and high schools run by the school and mass education department have drinking water facilities.

Replying to another question, the minister said the annual average dropout rate in primary schools in Odisha was 5.42 per cent while it was 6.93 per cent in upper primary, and 5.41 per cent in secondary schools during 2018-19.