Lok Sabha Question No. 375 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2019-06-24
Subject: Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan
Ministry: HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT
Asked by: Ashok Kumar Rawat

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

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.375 TO BE ANSWERED ON 24 TH JUNE, 2019

## Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan

## †375. SHRI ASHOK KUMAR RAWAT:

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

- (a) the  number  of  new  High  Schools  and  Inter  Colleges  required  to  be  set  up  in  the country  including  Uttar  Pradesh  as  per  the  norms  of  the  Rashtriya  Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA);
- (b) whether the Government has taken any steps for setting up of High Schools and Inter Colleges in the country including Uttar Pradesh as per the norms of RMSA; and
- (c) if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT (SHRI RAMESH POKHRIYAL 'NISHANK')

(a)  to  (c):    The  Centrally  Sponsored  Scheme  of  Rashtriya  Madhyamik  Shiksha  Abhiyan (RMSA)  was  under  implementation  since  2009  to  2017-18  for  universalizing  secondary education in the country. RMSA programme provided a number of incentives to encourage enrolment  and  retention  of  children  in  schools  as  well  as  for  improvement  of  quality  of education.    These  included  enhancing  access  to  secondary  schools,  strengthening  school infrastructure like school building, additional classrooms, laboratories, libraries, arts & craft rooms, toilets, drinking water facilities etc.

In  current  scenario,  RMSA  scheme  along-with    Sarva  Shiksha  Abhiyan  (SSA)  and Teacher  Education  (TE)  have  been  subsumed  under  an  Integrated  Centrally  Sponsored Scheme for School Education-Samagra Shiksha which has been launched 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 Samagra Shiksha aims to achieve universal access of children in schools from Pre-School to Senior Secondary in an inclusive and equitable manner, focusing on quality of education with improved infrastructure in the schools. With a view to facilitating States and UTs, the Scheme provides support to establishment of new schools by up-gradation of Upper Primary  Schools  to  Secondary  Schools  and  up-gradation  of  Secondary  Schools  to  Senior Secondary  Schools  and,  thus,  for  establishment  of  composite  schools.    The  scheme  also supports strengthening of infrastructure of existing schools.

The erstwhile RMSA and the existing Samagra Shiksha seek to enhance enrolment at Secondary  and  Higher  Secondary  levels  by  providing  a  secondary  school  and  higher secondary school within a reasonable distance of 5 Km and 7-10 Km, respectively of every habitation, to improve quality of education by ensuring that all schools conform to prescribed standard norms and to remove gender, socio-economic and disability barriers. These norms are  indicative  for  funding  under  the  scheme  and  the  states  can  prioritize  as  per  their  local requirements.

The  Annual  Work  Plan  &  Budget  (AWP&B)  under  the  erstwhile  RMSA  and  the existing Samagra Shiksha are prepared by the States and UTs based on their requirements and priorities  under  different  interventions  including  the  requirement  of  the  new  High  Schools and Inter Colleges (Senior Secondary). These plans are then appraised and approved/estimated  in  consultation  with  the  States  and  UTs  as  per  the  programmatic  and financial norms of the scheme and availability of budgetary resources.

Since the inception of RMSA in 2009 and Samagra Shiksha in 2018-19, sanction has been given for opening of 12896 new secondary schools and 44 higher secondary schools, besides addition of new stream in 851 Senior Secondary Schools.  So far, 1486 secondary schools  have  been  sanctioned  to  the  State  of  Uttar  Pradesh  out  of  which  1478  secondary schools have become operational.  The construction of school infrastructure is carried out as per  Schedule  of  Rates  (SoR)  notified  by  the  State  Government  or  Central  Public  Works Department (CPWD) rates whichever is lower.

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