Bihar school laboratory construction has fallen significantly behind schedule, with facilities completed in only 351 of 2,199 government secondary and higher secondary schools, prompting the state education department to issue show-cause notices to RailTel and Telecommunications Consultants India Ltd (TCIL).
The department’s review found that RailTel had completed laboratory construction in 78 of the 1,055 schools assigned to it, while TCIL had completed work in 273 of the 1,144 schools allotted to the company. Work had not started in some schools, according to a communique issued by the department.
The review was conducted on October 24 by Bihar Education Project Council state project director Navdeep Shukla. He expressed displeasure over the pace of construction and directed both agencies to accelerate work and meet the stipulated deadline.
Under the revised instructions, RailTel must complete laboratories in the remaining 518 schools assigned to it by November 30. TCIL has been directed to complete work in 816 schools by the same deadline. The agencies have also been told to supply the required furniture and equipment and hand over the completed laboratories to the respective headmasters.
The laboratories are being established for physics, chemistry and biology under the Samagra Shiksha scheme on a turnkey basis. TCIL has been assigned work in 20 districts, while RailTel is responsible for 18 districts across the state.
The show-cause notices require the agencies to explain the slow progress. Officials have warned that penalties could be imposed if the specified targets are not achieved. The department’s directions place responsibility not only on the contractors but also on the local monitoring system responsible for tracking construction and resolving implementation problems.
District education officers, district programme officers and Samagra Shiksha officials have been asked to monitor progress regularly and coordinate with the agencies. The project director also instructed engineers to conduct field visits to verify the pace of construction and ensure that the work meets the required quality standards.
The department’s directions indicate that completion will involve more than the physical construction of laboratory rooms. The agencies must also provide furniture and equipment before handing over the facilities to school headmasters, meaning that schools will not receive functioning laboratories until all components of the turnkey arrangement are delivered.
The deadline leaves RailTel and TCIL with substantial work still pending. RailTel has completed about 7.4% of its assigned laboratories, while TCIL has completed about 23.9%, based on the figures cited in the department’s review. Across both agencies, the completed facilities represent about 16% of the total 2,199 schools included in the programme.
The next official milestone is November 30, when both agencies are expected to complete their remaining assignments, supply the required furniture and equipment, and hand over the laboratories to the schools. District officials and engineers have been directed to continue field-level monitoring until the work is completed and quality is assessed.
