Patna,(BiharTimes): Bihar is lagging far behind in the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA).

According to the latest Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report (2012-13) 1,896 eligible habitations are yet to see schools in the state. The report also said Bihar could not avail the benefit of Central assistance and state share to the tune of Rs 19,279 crore for implementing the Sarva Shikha Abhiyan (SSA), a centrally-sponsored programme envisaged to achieve universal elementary education in India.

The CAG report, tabled in the Bihar Assembly on Tuesday, mentioned that 206 new primary schools shown as opened to cover eligible habitations were non-functional in absence of teachers in six “test checked” districts.

The report said the state failed to achieve universalisation of primary education as 9.5 lakh children were still out of school as of March 2013. It also noted that interventions for coverage of school children in the “test-checked” districts were carried out without basic data, proper evaluation and cases of fake mainstreaming were also noticed.

Criticising the Pupil Teacher Ratio (PTR) of 59:1 in Bihar, the CAG said it worsened from 53:1 in 2008-09, and was far behind the prescribed norms of 40:1.

Only 56 per cent of new school buildings, 60 per cent of additional classrooms and 26 per cent of headmaster’s room could be completed during the eight years in the state despite availability of funds.

According to the report there is lack of basic facilities like toilets, electricity, drinking water, boundary walls, playground among other things in nine to 68 per cent of schools in the state.

The report highlighted short-supply and delayed supply of text books in the “test-checked districts”.

Apart from this, 110 schools out of 996 surveyed never received any books during 2008-13. About 43 per cent post of teachers remain vacant in and the student dropout rate of 36 per cent, despite implementation of SSA for over a decade indicates its “unsatisfactory performance” in the state.