Lok Sabha Question No. 1397 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2018-03-05
Subject: School Education
Ministry: HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT
Asked by: J. JAYASINGH THIYAGARAJ NATTERJEE

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

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1397 TO BE ANSWERED ON 5 TH  MARCH, 2018

## School Education

## 1397.   SHRI J.J.T. NATTERJEE:

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

- (a) whether it is a fact that the school education in the country are gripped by lack of good schools, lack of skilled teachers, lack of teachers and their good performance and deep motivation and if so, the details thereof;
- (b) whether it is a fact that schools are also lacking infrastructures like the facility of drinking water, functional toilets and their poor maintenance and if so, the details thereof; and
- (c) the corrective steps taken by the Government to address these issues for better school education?

## ANSWER

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

(a) to (c): The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009 under section 19 provides for Norms and Standards for a school. The appropriate Governments have the responsibility and mandate to provide school infrastructure including drinking water facility and separate toilets for boys and girls  in  schools  in  accordance  with  the  norms  prescribed  in  the  Schedule  to  the  RTE  Act,  2009  and respective State RTE Rules.  All States and UTs have been advised to comply with the aforesaid provision of the RTE Act, 2009.

The Central Government supports States and Union Territories for creation and augmentation of infrastructure facilities including New Primary School and Upper Primary School buildings, additional class  rooms,  drinking  water  and  toilets  facilities  in  government  elementary  schools  under  Centrally Sponsored Scheme of Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA).

Further,  the  Centrally sponsored scheme of Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA) 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.  Under RMSA, financial assistance is  provided  to  the  States/  UTs  for  opening  of  new  Government  Secondary schools  and  strengthening  of  existing  government  secondary  schools  along  with  classrooms,  integrated laboratory, library, Art and Craft room, Toilet Blocks, Drinking Water provisions, etc. Under Swachh Vidyalaya Initiative, 4.17 lakh toilets were constructed/made functional in 2.61 lakh  elementary  and  secondary  government  schools  in  a  period  of  one  year,  thus  ensuring  that  every government school has separate functional toilets for girls and boys. This Department has requested all States/UTs to ensure proper maintenance of toilets to keep them functional and to also take steps to bring about  behavioural  changes  among  students  and  teachers  through  an  intensive  awareness  campaign  to ensure that the toilets are properly used and are kept neat and clean. Swachh Vidyalaya Puraskar has been instituted from 2016-17 at District, State and National level as a next step to Swachh Vidyalaya Initiative, to encourage well performing schools and states. For  maintenance  of  elementary  schools  including  toilets,  a  School  Maintenance  Grant  of Rs.5,000/-  per  school  (having  upto  3  classrooms)  and  Rs.  10,000/-  per  school  (having  more  than  3 classrooms) is sanctioned under SSA. For secondary schools, under RMSA an amount of Rs. 50,000 per

school is provided as annual School Grant.

The  Ministry  of  Panchayati  Raj  has  advised  the  Panchayati  Raj  Departments  of  all  States  to include the provision for construction and regular repair/maintenance of the toilets in schools in the Gram Panchayat  Development  Plans  under  14th  Finance  Commission  grants.  Ministry  of  Drinking  Water  & Sanitation,  Ministry  of  Panchayati  Raj  and  Department  of  School  Education  and  Literacy  have  jointly requested all States and UTs to ensure the Gram Panchayats take the lead in convening meetings with the Parent Teacher Associations of the schools for regular cleaning of the school toilets and for the disposal of solid and liquid waste generated in schools.

States/UTs are also supported on several interventions to improve quality of education including regular  in-service  teachers'  training,  induction  training  for  newly  recruited  teachers,  recruitment  of additional  teachers  for  improving  pupil  teacher  ratio,  academic  support  for  teachers  through  block  and cluster resource centres, digital initiatives etc.

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