Lok Sabha Question No. 895 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2016-11-21
Subject: Quality of Education
Ministry: HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT
Asked by: DHARMENDRA YADAV

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT OF HIGHER EDUCATION

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 895 TO BE ANSWERED ON 21.11.2016

## Quality of Education

†895. SHRI DHARMENDRA YADAV: Will the Minister of HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT be pleased to state: (a) whether the Government has conducted any survey in some States to examine the standard and quality of education; (b) if so, the details thereof, State -wise and objective behind this move; (c) whether the standard of education is not uniform in all the States and if so, the reasons therefor; and (d) if so, the details of guidelines given by the Government to maintain uniformity in quality and standard of education in all the States?

## ANSWER MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT (DR. MAHENDRA NATH PANDEY)

(a) & (b): No survey specifically on quality of higher education has been conducted by the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD). However, the MHRD has been conducting the All India Survey on Higher Education (AISHE) since August, 2011, which inter -alia captures data on quantitative aspects of higher education. In order to keep a tab on education health check -up so as to establish what children know and can do at specific stages of the elementary education cycle, the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) conducts periodic national surveys of learning achievement of children in classes -III, V, VIII, and X. Four rounds of National Achievement Surveys (NAS) have been conducted so far for class V whereas three rounds have been conducted for classes III & VIII. First round of NAS has been conducted at Class X level, indicating that there is need for significant improvement in learning levels.

(c): Achievement levels of students in different classes and in different States are different as India is a diverse country with respect to people, their habits, culture and living conditions. Education is in the concurrent list and States and UTs are primarily responsible for the implementation of educational policy and programmes. (d): The Government is committed to provide equitable access to quality education to all sections of the society. Having nearly reached the goals of universalizing elementary education, and making substantial gains in expanding access to secondary and higher education, the focus is on improving the quality of education at all levels. Several initiatives are currently being undertaken in this direction. In elementary education, the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) programme aims for improvements in school infrastructure and in teaching and learning. Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA), ICT in Schools, Centrally Sponsored Scheme on Teacher Education (CSSTE), Shaala Siddhi, Rashtriya Avishkar Abhiyan are being implemented to improve the quality of secondary education. In higher education also, various schemes ,namely, Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA), Global Initiative for Academics Network (GIAN), Impacting Research, Innovation & Technology (IMPRINT), Technical Education Quality Improvement Programme(TEQIP), Pandit Madan Mohan Malviya National Mission on Teachers and Teaching (PMMMNMTT), Study Webs of Active -Learning for Young Aspiring Minds (SWAYAM), National Digital Library, campus connect programme, Uchhatar Avishkar Abhiyan, Unnat Bharat Abhiyan are being implemented to improve the quality of higher education. A number of initiatives are also undertaken by UGC and AICTE for quality improvement in higher and technical education.

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