The Delhi High Court rebuked the city’s education department on Monday for the “very disappointing state” of government schools in the north-east district, demanding accountability from the responsible officials.

A bench led by Acting Chief Justice Manmohan considered a “harsh” report presented by lawyer Ashok Agarwal, who inspected these schools and found numerous deficiencies, including “broken desks,” “serious classroom shortages,” and inadequate book and writing material supplies. The court emphasized that officials must not only make announcements in newspapers but also take concrete actions to address these shortcomings.

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The education secretary, present in court and having visited the schools earlier to assess their condition, acknowledged the report’s findings and pledged to take urgent steps to improve the situation.

“You should have been aware of all this. Why do we need to summon you? You should proactively engage at the ground level. It’s your responsibility… You’re in charge of educating young children,” remarked the bench, expressing disappointment at the situation.

The court noted that inadequate planning by authorities led to children’s disinterest in school and stressed the need to hold officials accountable.

Highlighting the harsh conditions, the court questioned how children could learn in a tin building amidst high temperatures.

“The problem is that no senior official’s children attend these schools. That’s the issue. There’s no feedback… What will happen to our future generation? It’s no surprise that jails are overcrowded. Do you see the connection?” remarked Justice Manmohan.

Acknowledging the lack of supervision, the judge urged senior officials to take more proactive roles.

The education secretary assured the court that there was no shortage of funds or books and promised to provide writing materials and desks to all students. Regarding the tin building, he assured that it was temporary, and arrangements were being made to relocate the students.

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The court directed the education secretary to submit a detailed affidavit addressing the report’s findings and to assign responsibility to negligent officials. The matter was scheduled for further hearing on April 23.

The court was addressing a public interest litigation by NGO Social Jurist, represented by Agarwal, which argued that over one lakh students’ education was affected due to inadequate schooling conditions.

Previously, the court had instructed the secretary and Agarwal to visit the schools to assess the situation.