Lok Sabha Question No. 1495 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2018-03-05
Subject: Lack of Permanent School Buildings
Ministry: HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT
Asked by: JAGDAMBIKA PAL

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT OF SCHOOL EDUCATION & LITERACY

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.1495 TO BE ANSWERED ON 05 th  March, 2018

## Lack of Permanent School Buildings

## 1495. SHRI  JAGDAMBIKA  PAL:

Will the Minister of HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT be pleased to state:

(a)   whether it  is  a  fact  that  60%  of  India's  schools  are  still  short  of  teachers  and  39%  of schools operate out of Kaccha buildings;

(b)  if  so,  the  steps  taken  by  the  Government  to  provide  basic  amenities  and  infrastructure including adequate number of teachers in schools;

(c)  whether it is also true that underprivileged children still continue to drop out due to caste discrimination, inadequate pre-schooling and sheer poverty, if so, the details thereof; and

(d)  the steps taken/being taken by the Government to address these issues?

## ANSWER MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT (SHRI UPENDRA KUSHWAHA)

(a):  As per Unified District Information System for Education (UDISE)  2015-16,  33.90% Government Schools at elementary level have Pupil-Teacher Ratio(PTR) adverse than the norms of 30:1  at  primary  level  and  35:1  at  upper  primary  level  laid  down  by  the  Schedule  to  The  Right  of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009. However, the overall PTR at national level for primary schools is 23:1 and upper primary schools is 17:1, which is better than the norm laid down in the  RTE  Act,  2009.  Also,  29.2%  of  Government  secondary  schools  donot  meet  the  PTR norm of 30:1 at secondary level as per framework of Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan(RMSA). However, as per UDISE 2015-16, the overall PTR at national level for Secondary Level is 27:1, which is better than the norms. Further, as per UDISE 2015-16, 1.61 % of Government Schools operated in kaccha buildings at Elementary level.

(b): The recruitment, service conditions and deployment of teachers are primarily in the domain of the State  Governments/UT  Administrations.  However,  the  Central  Government  through  the Centrally Sponsored  Schemes  of  Sarva  Shiksa  Abhiyan  (SSA)  at  elementary  level  and  Rashtriya  Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA) at secondary level, provides assistance to the State Governments and UTs for additional teachers to maintain appropriate Pupil-Teacher Ratio as per the prescribed norms for various levels  of  schooling.  The  Central  Government  has  issued  advisories  to  the  States  and  UTs  for redeployment  of  teachers  in  order  to  ensure  appropriate PTR  is  maintained  as  per  the  norms  in  all schools.

The Central Government supports State Governments and UT Administrations for creation and augmentation of infrastructural facilities in government schools under SSA and RMSA programmes. The requirement of infrastructural facilities in schools is worked out every year by the respective State/Union Territory on incremental basis depending on their need and priority and reflected in their Annual Work Plan and Budget (AWP&B) and viable projects are approved under the schemes in consultation with the respective States/UTs.

(c) & (d): The Government of India has issued guidelines to all States/UTs for implementation of clause (c)  of  Section  8  and  9  of  the  Right  of  Children  to  Free  and  Compulsory  Education  (RTE)  Act,  2009 regarding  non-discrimination  with  children  belonging  to  disadvantaged  groups  and  weaker  sections  in schools, requesting the State Governments and local authorities to take appropriate steps to ensure that all schools  adhere  to  these  guidelines.  The  SSA  and  RMSA  programmes  include  strategies  to  provide teacher training to sensitize teachers on inclusion and non-discrimination and training of Headmasters/Principals for School Leadership so that they help establish inclusive schools. Curriculum and textbooks also emphasize values of equity and inclusion.

The  Central  Government  provides  assistance  to  State  Governments  and  UTs  to  ensure  free  and compulsory quality elementary education for all children. Universal enrollment is the first goal of SSA, and hence all efforts are made to bring all children in schools. Preference for opening of school is given to  tribal  areas  and  areas  with  high  concentration  of  Scheduled  Caste,  Scheduled  Tribe  and  minority population.  In  addition,  Kasturba  Gandhi  Balika  Vidyalayas,  which  are  residential  schools  for  girls  at upper primary level, have also been sanctioned to the States for improving access to marginalized girls particularly those out of school, either dropped out or never enrolled. Further, provisions have also been made  for  residential  schools/hostels  and  transportation/escort  facility  for  children  living  in  sparsely populated areas, children living in areas where schools cannot be opened due to unavailability of land and children  in  need  of  care  and  protection.  Special  training  is  also  provided  to  all  such  children  who  are school  dropouts  and  long  absentees  and  they  are  enrolled  in  'back  to  school'  camps.  As  per  Unified District Information System for Education 2015-16, the number of total children enrolled at elementary level has increased from 15.1 crore in 1998-99 to 19.67 crore at present.

Additionally,  other  strategies  adopted  under  SSA  such  as  strengthening  school  infrastructure, providing incentives like free textbooks, uniforms for eligible category of children and mid-day meal in schools have proved to be useful in increasing the enrollment of children in elementary schools.

Further, the Centrally sponsored scheme of Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA) also envisages  universalizing  access  to  secondary  schools  by  providing  a  secondary  school  within  a reasonable  distance  of  every  habitation,  improving  quality  of  education  through  making  all  secondary schools conform to prescribed norms and removal of gender, socio-economic and disability barriers.

As per the UDISE 2015-16, there is decrease in Annual Average Dropout rate from 4.15% to 4.10% at elementary level and from 17.86%  to 17.06% at secondary level  from the  year 2013-14 to 2014-15.

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