One thing that has come to light in the wake of the three phases of gutsav in Assam is the palpability of the rot that has crept into the elementary school system in the State. These three phases have been undertaken to assess the quality of learning in government schools in the State. What is clear is the lack of basic amenities that form the hallmark of any functioning and meaningful education system. On Tuesday, State Education Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma came up with a startling announcement: that over 35,000 schools in the State were found lacking in basic amenities such as electricity, toilets and proper drinking water facilities. This cuts a terribly sorry figure. These are government-run schools, with the government presiding over the destinies of lakhs of children in rural areas – mostly from poor and backward families that repose faith in their elected government to provide their wards with such facilities that ought to be their right as part of the larger framework of the right to education. But this is just not happening. Just think of those helpless and hapless children having to negotiate their educatiol life without having to get electricity, which means they are forced to ‘learn’ their lessons without fans to provide them relief during sultry days – which is sheer torture. Then add to this terrible fact of life two more variants of what one may well call education atrocity: they do not have toilets, nor can they drink safe water to quench their thirst, all because there are no such facilities at all. This is the uncanny and unnerving story in over 35,000 government-run schools in 13 districts across the State. And yet this government, which calls itself progressive and full of radical, innovative ideas, is never tired of telling us that the State is progressing well in its steady education stride!