Lok Sabha Question No. 97 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2017-07-17
Subject: Sakshar Bharat Abhiyan
Ministry: HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT
Asked by: PRALHAD VENKATESH JOSHI

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

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.97 TO BE ANSWERED ON 17.07.2017

## Sakshar Bharat Abhiyan

## 97. SHRI PRALHAD JOSHI:

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

- (a) the total number of people benefitted under the Sakshar Bharat Abhiyan, State/UT-wise;
- (b) whether the Government has taken any other steps to ensure inclusive education for all; and
- (c) if so, the details of the steps taken/ being taken by the Government in this regard?

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

- (a) A total number of 5,88,37,706 learners benefited under the Sakshar Bharat Abhiyan upto August,  2016.  A  statement  indicating  the  State/UT-wise  total  number  of  people  benefitted under the Saakshar Bharat Abhiyan, is annexed .

(b) & (c) Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) promotes inclusion of CWSN in neighborhood schools through their early identification, educational placement, provision of aids and appliances and other  resource  support  services,  teacher  training,  parental  training,  community  mobilisation, curricular adaptations, removal of architectural barriers, as well as residential, non residential or even home based education, as per their specific requirements.

Thus,  SSA  has  adopted  a  more  expansive  and  a  broad-based  understanding  of  the concept of inclusion, wherein a multi-option model of educating CWSN is being implemented. The dual objective of embracing this model is to bring more CWSN under the umbrella of SSA and to provide to CWSN appropriate need based skills, be it vocational, functional literacy or simply activities of daily living. Further, an attempt is being made to provide these skills in the most appropriate learning environment.

The  National  Council  of  Educational  Research  &  Training  (NCERT)  has  developed exemplar material on curricular adaptations, inclusive  teaching and adoption of flexibility  in evaluating  children  with  disabilities  in  inclusive  classrooms.  These  handbooks,  meant  for primary  and  upper  primary  level  teachers,  cover  all  disabilities,  including  cognitive  and intellectual disabilities, have been disseminated to States/UTs.

NCERT  has  also  developed  Barkhaa:  A  Reading  Series  for  All  as  an  exemplary inclusive learning material in the form of a supplementary reading series consisting of 40 story booklets based on children's experiences. The reading series goes beyond providing only audio material  to  visually  challenged  learners  and  has  special  features  like  Braille  and  text  on  the same  page,  high  resolution  colours,  window  flashcards  of  difficult  words  and  tactile  and textured illustrations rendering it accessible to all children.

Under  Inclusive  Education  for  Disabled  at  Secondary  Stage  (IEDSS)  component  of RMSA scheme, all children passing out of elementary school and studying at the secondary stage in Government, local body and Government-aided schools, with one or more disabilities as defined under the Persons with Disabilities Act (1995), and the National Trust Act (1999), namely i) Blindness, ii) Low vision, iii) Leprosy cured, iv) Hearing impairment, v) Loco-motor disabilities, vi) Mental retardation, vii) Mental illness, viii) Autism, ix) Cerebral palsy etc. are covered.

The components of the scheme includes assistance for two major components i.e.  A) Student-oriented  components:  i)  Assessment  of  medical  /  educational  needs,  ii)  Provision  of student specific facilities, like assistive devices, therapeutic service, books support services  etc. iii)  Development  of  learning  material,  iv)  Purchase  of  screen  reading  software.  Girls  with disability receive special focus and efforts made under the scheme to help them gain access to secondary  schools  with  a  provision  of  monthly  stipend  of  Rs.200/-  for  the  disabled  girls. Rs.3000/- per child per annum is provided as Central Assistance to be topped by the States by a scholarship of Rs.600/- per disabled child per annum. (B) Other Components: i) Appointment of  special  educators,  ii)  Special  pay  for  general  teachers  trained  in  special  education    @ Rs.400/- per month iii) Construction and equipping of resource rooms, iv) training of general school teachers to build their capacity to fulfill the needs of children with special needs v) make schools barrier free.

## STATEMENT  REFERRED  TO  IN  REPLY  TO  PART  (a)  OF  THE  LOK  SABHA UNSTARRED  QUESTION  NO.  97  FOR  17.07.2017  ASKED  BY  SHRI  PRALHAD JOSHI REGARDING 'SAKSHAR BHARAT ABHIYAN'.

## State/UT-wise total number people benefitted under the Saakshar Bharat Mission

| Sl. No.   | States / UT       | No. of Learners certified literate (upto August 2016)   |
|-----------|-------------------|---------------------------------------------------------|
| 1         | Andhra Pradesh    | 46,04,484                                               |
| 2         | Arunachal Pradesh | 1,37,634                                                |
| 3         | Assam             | 6,55,876                                                |
| 4         | Bihar             | 1,14,84,458                                             |
| 5         | Chhattisgarh      | 29,91,187                                               |
| 6         | D &NHaveli        | 18,333                                                  |
| 7         | Gujarat           | 8,87,933                                                |
| 8         | Haryana           | 4,99,632                                                |
| 9         | Himachal Pradesh  | 61,173                                                  |
| 10        | Jammu &Kashmir    | 1,29,150                                                |
| 11        | Jharkhand         | 22,15,529                                               |
| 12        | Karnataka         | 34,38,789                                               |
| 13        | Madhya Pradesh    | 18,90,789                                               |
| 14        | Maharashtra       | 4,62,094                                                |
| 15        | Manipur           | 1,09,816                                                |
| 16        | Meghalaya         | 23,160                                                  |
| 17        | Nagaland          | 1,16,234                                                |
| 18        | Odisha            | 9,64,013                                                |
| 19        | Punjab            | 30,573                                                  |
| 20        | Rajasthan         | 65,47,786                                               |
| 21        | Sikkim            | 17,354                                                  |
| 22        | Tamil Nadu        | 22,94,266                                               |
| 23        | Telengana         | 43,98,044                                               |
| 24        | Tripura           | 47,378                                                  |
| 25        | Uttar Pradesh     | 1,02,77,522                                             |
| 26        | Uttarakhand       | 4,52,248                                                |
| 27        | West Bengal       | 40,82,251                                               |
|           | Total             | 5,88,37,706                                             |