Lok Sabha Question No. 4228 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2021-03-22
Subject: Objectives of Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan
Ministry: Education
Asked by: Jaswantsinh Sumanbhai Bhabhor

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF EDUCATION DEPARTMENT OF SCHOOL EDUCATION AND LITERACY

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4228 TO BE ANSWERED ON 22 nd March, 2021

## Objectives of Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan

## †4228. SHRI JASWANT SINGH BHABHOR:

Will the Minister of EDUCATION be pleased to state:

- (a) the core objective of the Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA);
- (b) whether efforts are being made to reduce the pupil-teacher ratio to 30:1 under the said scheme and if so, the details thereof;
- (c) the works being done to strengthen the education system in tribal areas in Gujarat under the said scheme?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF EDUCATION (SHRI RAMESH POKHRIYAL 'NISHANK')

(a) to (c): The Centrally Sponsored Scheme of Samagra Shiksha has been launched as an Integrated Scheme for School Education by subsuming the erstwhile Centrally Sponsored Schemes of Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA), Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA) and Teacher Education (TE) from 2018-19. It is an overarching programme for the school education sector extending from pre-school to class XII and aims to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education at all levels of school education.

The major objectives of Samagra Shiksha are: provision of quality education and enhancing learning outcomes of students; bridging Social and Gender Gaps in School Education; ensuring equity and inclusion at all levels of school education; ensuring minimum standards in schooling provisions; promoting Vocationalisation of education; support States in implementation of Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009; and Strengthening and up-gradation of State Councils of Educational Research and Training (SCERTs)/State Institutes of Education (SIE) and District Institute of Education and Training (DIET) as nodal agencies for teacher training.

As per the Unified District Information System for Education (UDISE+) 2018-19 (provisional), the PTR at national level for Secondary level is 21:1 and for Higher Secondary level is 26:1.

Education is in the Concurrent List of the Constitution and majority of the schools are under the jurisdiction of the respective State and Union Territory (UT) Government. Hence, the recruitment, service conditions and deployment of teachers are primarily in the domain of the respective State and UT Government. The recruitment of teachers is a continuous process and the vacancies keep arising due to retirement and additional requirements on account of enhanced students' strength. However, Ministry of Education has been requesting all the States and UT Governments for filling-up the vacant posts of teachers and their rational deployment, for which the Ministry issues advisories to all States and UTs from time to time.

Further, the Central Government through the Centrally Sponsored Scheme of Samagra Shiksha provides assistance to the States and UTs for deployment of additional teachers to maintain appropriate Pupil Teacher Ratio as per the prescribed norms for various levels of schooling.

Under Samagra Shiksha, financial assistance is provided to all States and UTs including Gujarat for implementation of various interventions like opening of new schools & providing infrastructural facilities, free textbooks and uniforms, setting up and running of residential schools and hostels including Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalayas, provisions for inclusive education of Children with Special Needs (CWSN), transport & escort facility, in-service training of teachers, ICT, vocational education and other activities.

*****