Lok Sabha Question No. 1303 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2019-02-11
Subject: Global Education Monitoring
Ministry: HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT
Asked by: C. N. JAYADEVAN

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

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1303 TO BE ANSWERED ON 11.02.2019

## Global Education Monitoring

## 1303.   SHRI C.N. JAYADEVAN:

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

- (a)   whether  the  Government  is  aware  of  UNESCO's  2019  Global  Education  Monitoring (GEM) Report released recently wherein it is stated that 80 per cent of migrant children across seven Indian cities did not have access to education near worksites;
- (b)   if so, the details thereof; and
- (c)   whether the Government proposes to address the situation as inter-State migration rate has been increasing every year and if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT (DR. SATYA PAL SINGH)

(a) to (c) The UNESCO Report does not mention the methodology used in the study and the source of this data is stated to be a study by a non-governmental organisation. The UNESCO did  not  share  this  data  with  Government  and  therefore,  this  Ministry  cannot  authenticate  the UNESCO report.    However,  this  Ministry  is  aware  of  the  issues  of  providing  education  to migrant children.

There are a total of 11.42 lakh elementary schools in the country including 7.23 lakh primary  and  4.19  lakh  upper  primary.  As  per  Annual  Work  Plan  &  Budget  2018-19  data, 97.15%  habitations  are  served  at  Primary  Schools  within  a  radius  of  1  km,  and  96.49% habitations  are  served  by  Upper  Primary  Schools  within  a  radius  of  3  kms.    When  migrant workers live on the worksites which is generally at a distance from the main village, the access to  school  for  their  children  becomes  an  issue.  The  children  of  such  migrant  workers  are provided the Transport / Escort Facility.

The  SSA,  since  its  inception,  has  provided  2.04  lakh  primary  and  1.59  lakh  upper primary schools for ensuring universal provisioning of schooling facilities across the country.

In  addition  to  regular  schools,  1,020  residential  facilities  with  sanctioned  capacity  of 1,08,275  has  been  sanctioned  to  States.  It  includes  333  residential  schools  and  687  hostels attached with existing schools for children living in remote and sparsely populated habitations of  rural  and  deprived  children  of  urban  areas.  These  residential  facilities  are  in  addition  to 5,970  Kasturba  Gandhi  Balika  Vidyalayas  (KGBVs,  Girls  residential  school  at  upper  level)

- with a total capacity of 7.25 lakh girls have also been sanctioned to the states for improving access to marginalised girls. Further, to address the issue of seasonal migration for varying periods, States are using various strategies which are supported by Government of India through the provisions under the  erstwhile  programme  of  Sarva  Shiksha  Abhiyan  (SSA,  2001-02  to  2017-18)  and  current programme of Samagra Shiksha.  All States/ UTs are required to conduct household surveys/ update household surveys annually to identify out of school children. These surveys also collect information on children affected by migration of their families. All such children are provided adequate support to be able to join school and complete their elementary education. The broad strategies to ensure elementary education to all category of children are as under: (i) Seasonal hostels / residential camps are provided to retain children in their villages (in sending villages) during the period of migration of their families. The intervention primarily aims at retaining 'In- school- children' during the period of migration so that they can continue their  education  while  their  parents  migrate  by  providing  residential  facilities  in  the  villages itself. The residential facility continues till parents of all children return back. (ii) Special Training Centres at worksites are provided for children to bring them to school and  to  prepare  them  for  age  appropriate  classes.  Section-4  of  the  RTE  Act,  provides  for admission of all  drop  out  and  never  enrolled  children  (i.e.  out  of  school  children)  in  a  class appropriate to his or her age and provisioning of Special Training, in order to be at par with others.  This  section,  thus,  guarantees  right  to  age  appropriate  admission  and  right  to  receive special training to all those children who are above six years of age and have not been admitted in  any  school  or  though  admitted,  could  not  complete  their  elementary  education.  Special Training is, thus, organized at destination points for migrant children so that they can be at par with other children. Central Government under Samagra Shiksha provides support for out of school, dropout and migrant children @  Rs. 6000/ child/annum for non-residential Interventions and Rs. 20,000/ child/annum for residential interventions. (iii) Mid-  Day  Meal:  -  The  National  Programme  of  Mid-Day  Meal  in  Schools,  popularly known  as  the  Mid-Day  Meal  Scheme,  is  an  on-going  Centrally-Sponsored  Scheme  which covers  all  school  children  studying  in  Classes  I-VIII  of  Government,  Government-Aided, Special  Training  Centres  supported  under  Samagra  Shiksha.  During  2017-18,  9.51  crore children studying in 11.34 lakh institutions have been benefitted under the Scheme. (iv) Provision of Free Uniform: Free Uniform is provided to all girls and boys belonging to SC, ST and BPL categories studying at elementary level. During 2018-19 an amount of Rs. 474435.36 lakh has been approved for 8.24 cr. students of elementary level. (v) Provision  of  Free  Text  Books:  Free  Text  Books  are  provided  to  children  studying  at
- elementary  level.  During  2018-19  an  amount  of  Rs.  308042.25  lakh  has  been  approved  for 10.14 cr. students of elementary level.

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