CHENNAI: Over the decades, Tamil Nadu has performed admirably in improving the quality and stand of the infrastructure at government schools. However, as an infrastructure assessment by the School Education Department for 2026-27 revealed, it is far from adequate.
The exercise has revealed that the government schools are woefully short of toilets – for both boys and girls - classrooms, drinking water facilities, and laboratories. To establish these basic facilities will cost more than Rs 3,742 crore, and an additional Rs 458 crore to build compound walls, the department estimated.
According to the assessment by the department, the government schools in the State need 5,880 toilets, including 3,142 for boys and 2,738 for girls. The estimated cost of providing these toilets is around Rs 620 crore.
The toilet requirement is part of a larger infrastructure deficit identified by the department, with government schools also needing 5,641 classrooms, 1,340 drinking water facilities, and 2,361 laboratories.
The department estimates that building 5,641 classrooms would cost around Rs 1,465 crore. Drinking water facilities at 1,340 locations are estimated to require around Rs 59 crore, while 2,361 laboratories would cost Rs 1,598.24 crore.
The department has estimated that up to Rs 4,200 crore could be required to meet the infrastructure needs identified in government schools.
The requirements for classrooms, toilets, drinking water facilities, and laboratories were compiled after the School Education Department sought details from government schools. The schools submitted their infrastructure requirements, based on which the department prepared an estimate of the cost.
The infrastructure assessment comes after the Budget allocated Rs 44,527 crore to the School Education Department.
Incidentally, the exercise came at a time when students across the country have started raising the poor facilities at their schools, and have undertaken rallies and even protests to highlight the issue.
Coming as they do after the Cockroach Janta Party led Gen Z protest in Delhi’s Jantar Mantar, and the outfit’s drive to conduct an audit of the facilities at government schools all over India, the authorities at various states are rushing to address the issues before the matter hits social media.