Lok Sabha Question No. 4592 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2019-07-22
Subject: Setting up of Senior Secondary Schools
Ministry: HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT
Asked by: Sukhbir Singh Jaunapuria

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

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4592 TO BE ANSWERED ON 22.07.2019

## Setting up of Senior Secondary Schools

## †4592. SHRI SUKHBIR SINGH JAUNAPURIA:

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

(a)  whether  the  Government  has  set  up  a  target  to  set  up  secondary  schools  every  3  to  5 kilometres across the country;

(b) if so, the details thereof;

(c)  whether  the  Government  has  undertaken  any  survey  or  gathered  any  information  in  this regard;

(d) if so, the details thereof;

(e) whether the Government has granted funds to the Government schools located in the rural areas to disburse scholarships; and

(f) if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT

## (SHRI RAMESH POKHRIYAL 'NISHANK')

(a) & (b) Department of School Education and Literacy has launched an Integrated Scheme for  School  Education-Samagra  Shiksha,  subsuming  three  erstwhile  Centrally  Sponsored Schemes of Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA), Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA) and  Teacher  Education  (TE),  with  effect  from  2018-19.  The  scheme  aims  to  provide universal access to secondary school within a distance of 5 Km and Senior secondary schools within 7-10 Km of a habitation by providing support to States and UTs for establishment of new schools by up-gradation of upper primary school to secondary schools and up-gradation of Secondary Schools to Senior Secondary Schools.

(c) & (d) To ensure universal access to schools within a reasonable distance of any habitation and  without  any  discrimination,  the  Geographic  coordinates  of  all  schools  along  with  the school  information  available  in  UDISE  are  uploaded  on  the  school  GIS Web  enabled platform. As reported by States and UTs in their Annual Work Plan - 2018-19, 88.24% of habitations were covered by Secondary schools within a distance of 5km.

(e) & (f) : Under the Centrally Sponsored 'National Means-cum-Merit Scholarship Scheme' of  the  Department  of  School  Education  &  Literacy  scholarships  are  given  to  meritorious students of economically weaker sections to arrest their drop out at class VIII and encourage them  to  continue  the  study  at  secondary  stage.  One  lakh  scholarships  of  Rs.  12000/-  per annum    per  student  are  awarded  to  selected  students  of  class  IX  every  year  and  their continuation/renewal in classes X to XII for study in a State Government, Government-aided and Local body school under the scheme. An amount of Rs. 317.37 crore has been sanctioned to 280330 scholarships during 2018-19.

Further,  the  Centrally  Sponsored  'National  Scheme  of  Incentive  to  Girls  for  Secondary Education (NSIGSE)'of the Department aims to establish an enabling environment to reduce the  drop-outs  and  to  promote  the  enrolment  of  girl  children,  mainly  belonging  to  SC/ST communities,  in  secondary  schools.  According  to  the  scheme,  a  sum  of  Rs.  3,000/-  is deposited in the name of eligible unmarried girls in a bank as fixed deposit on enrolment in class IX, who are entitled to withdraw it along with interest thereon on passing Class X and attaining 18 years of age. The Scheme covers (i) all girls belonging to SC/ST communities who pass class VIII and (ii) all girls who pass VIII examination from Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalayas (irrespective of whether they belong to SC/ST) and enrol in class IX in a State Government, Government aided and Local Body school. An amount of Rs. 164.58 crore has been sanctioned to 548396 girls as incentive during 2018-19.

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