Way back in 2003, a group of US-based professionals joined hands to turn around rural schools in India, often in places where they had grown up. One School At A Time (OSAAT), an initiative to rebuild and revitalise schools, focuses on three essential elements at every school they rebuild – classrooms, washrooms and kitchens. They restore school infrastructure to create a safe, healthy learning environment and provide a digital platform to enhance student engagement and academic performance.
Most schools in India were built by the government in the 1930’s and 1940’s. Over the years, many rural schools have fallen into disrepair, with leaking roofs and unsafe structures. Poor water, sanitation, and hygiene facilities put students at risk of illness and hinder their ability to focus on learning. Even when school conditions are adequate, economic hardship and long distances often force rural families to prioritize work over education for their children..
The OSAAT initiative is just an example of one of the numerous ones being undertaken by individuals, organisations and government agencies to improve the infrastructure of schools in rural India. For it can have a huge impact on reducing dropout rates, increasing the quality of education, and also improve the rural economy.
Rural schools often lack proper infrastructure
How big is this problem? Many schools, especially in rural areas, lack adequate infrastructure – not just proper classrooms, libraries, and computer laboratories but basic amenities such as electricity, water supply, and sanitation facilities. This naturally discourages students from enrolling or attending these institutions.
According to the Annual Status of Education (Rural) Report (ASER), there have been small improvements as far as school infrastructure is concerned. For instance, the fraction of schools with usable girls’ toilets increased from 66.4% in 2018 to 68.4% in 2022 to 72% in 2024. The proportion of schools with drinking water available increased from 74.8% to 76.1% to 77.7%, and the proportion of schools with books other than textbooks being used by students increased from 36.9% to 43.9% to 51.3% over the same period.
However, these improvements can be seen across most states, but schools in Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, and Nagaland continue to lag behind in these facilities. The ASER 2024 reveals that states like some North-eastern states are unable to provide usable toilets and drinking water. “Only 72% schools have usable girls’ toilets, up from 66.4% in 2018”, while 77.7% have drinking water. Sports facilities show little progress, with just 66.2% of schools having playgrounds in 2024”, a slight dip from 66.5% in 2018. These deficits highlight inadequate investment in school infrastructure.
Why is school infrastructure important?
From providing a conducive learning environment to reducing dropout rates, it is important to invest in school infrastructure. Children are more likely to continue their education if better facilities are provided. For example, a lack of amenities like clean water or sanitation facilities may make girls more likely to drop out when they reach puberty. Improved facilities encourage girls to enrol and stay in schools, which reduces chances of early marriage and leads to empowerment of girls and women. Having access to clean water and sanitation also cuts down on the disease burden in rural areas, improving quality of life.
A comfortable learning environment also ensures that children focus more on studies, which naturally improves their academic performance. That, in turn, means that the students will be able to secure admission in good colleges and get better jobs, breaking generational poverty cycles.
“Schools should have proper airy classrooms with furniture, and a compound wall to ensure safety. It’s also important to have toilet facilities with water and provision for girls to dispose of their sanitary pads,” says Virgil D Sami, executive director of Arunodhaya, which works for realising child rights through child participation. “If bathrooms are not available, girls won’t come to school especially when they are menstruating.”
There are studies that prove it. The National Achievement Survey (NAS), an initiative by the Ministry of Education to assess students’ learning outcomes across India. It also collects data on the physical infrastructure of schools and how it correlates with student performance. According to it, studies have shown a strong correlation between good school infrastructure and better student performance. Schools with functioning toilets, proper classrooms, and access to learning resources such as libraries tend to show better academic outcomes. Schools with adequate infrastructure also tend to have better teacher attendance and availability, which directly impacts learning outcomes.
Suraj Katra, a consultant with various nonprofits, says that there is an infrastructure deficiency in most Anganwadi centres. “The facilities are bad, they don’t have appropriate teaching material, especially those dealing with early childhood care and education,” he says. “Recently, while documenting a project I got a video report from a field worker about a school located a few hours from Noida. The condition of the Anganwadi centre there was bad, it was not painted, the ceiling was falling apart and water as well as snakes came into the classrooms when it rained, so parents are scared to send their children to school.”
Not attending school during the formative years can have a huge impact on children, says Katra. “If children aged three to five don’t go to school, they will fall behind when they are enrolled in primary schools,” he says.
Investing in school infrastructure in rural areas helps bridge the gap between urban and rural education. Which means children from less privileged backgrounds have equal opportunities to education and hence better jobs. Having a more educated workforce also paves the way for economic development and poverty reduction in rural areas.
Schools in rural areas, especially if children have to travel long distances to reach them, can pose a threat to safety, especially where girls are concerned.
Community participation and support of educational initiatives also improve when communities see investment in their local schools.
Poor school infrastructure can have a psycho-social impact
Students in schools with poor facilities may feel demotivated or inferior compared to those in better facilities. This can affect their mental well-being and academic performance. A lack of exposure to modern teaching methods can also make rural children feel disconnected from broader educational advancements.
The atmosphere in school and the infrastructure has a strong impact on children and their academic performance. If the classrooms are congested and dirty, children won’t feel like coming to school. If the classrooms are bright and airy, and they have access to all facilities, they will be happy to come to school and study, so naturally the academic performance goes up.
Need of the hour
Government as well as private initiatives have been launched to improve infrastructure in schools. But there is a lot that still needs to be done. For one, there has to be an investment in basic amenities – all schools should have functional classrooms, proper seating, safe drinking water, and clean restrooms.
Efforts need to be made to bridge the gap between rural and urban schools by providing equitable access to learning materials, qualified teachers, and even a range of extracurricular activities. Schools also need to be equipped with technology — computers, internet access, and e-learning platforms. This will improve digital literacy, but also functional literacy.
Regular audits of school facilities, including the physical infrastructure, should be held to identify gaps. If these are addressed immediately, a conducive learning environment can be sustained. While the central and state governments are working to address the situation, there is a need for all stakeholders to get involved. Local communities, corporates, nonprofits and the local government bodies should together to maintain school infrastructure.
Steps in the right direction
Smile Foundation has been working to provide an enabling learning environment for children. The Right to Education (RTE) Act, which came into force in 2010 made education free and compulsory for all children in the age group of six to 14 years. However, more than a decade later, the learning curve has not been steady for all children. The socio-economic conditions of parents and gaps in the learning infrastructure and environment in schools are hindrances which prevent many children from getting a proper education.
We feel that creating an exciting and fun learning environment contributes towards a positive and energetic interaction, which in turn enables children to understand easily and retain the concepts well. Our learning initiatives provide teaching learning material comprising notebooks, textbooks, practice sheets, classroom teaching materials, stationery and writing sheets.
We have established STEM labs at 12 locations, including DIY activity kits for activity-based learning and STEM DIY kits. The foundation has also established labs for English, science and provided maths learning tool kits. We have also worked to improve their centre’s infrastructure through green infrastructure and digital classrooms, including solar panels, smart class installation, learning software and educational tablets.
At seven locations we have done renovation work through waterproofing, painting, toilet repair, plumbing, electrical works. And also provided sports materials, musical instruments, and speaker systems at 18 locations.
