Lok Sabha Question No. 323 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2019-06-24
Subject: Shortage of Schools and Colleges in Rural Areas
Ministry: HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT
Asked by: Ramdas Chandrabhanji Tadas, Chandra Prakash Joshi

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

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. † 323 TO BE ANSWERED ON 24.06.2019

## Shortage of Schools and Colleges in Rural Areas

## †323. SHRI RAMDAS C. TADAS: SHRI CHANDRA PRAKASH JOSHI:

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

(a) whether the Government is aware that there is shortage of schools and colleges in rural areas of the country;

(b) if so, the number of schools and colleges established in rural areas during the last three years; and

(c) the steps taken/proposed to be taken by the Government to address the problem in the country?

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

(a) to (c): The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009 provides for access to elementary schools for children within the defined area or limits of neighbourhood. Section  6  of  the  Act  provides  that  'the  appropriate  government  and  local  authorities'  shall establish,  within  the  area  or  limits  of  a  neighbourhood,  a  school,  where  it  is  not  already established, within a period of three years from the commencement of the Act. In pursuance to Section 6 of the Act, the Central Government has notified the area or limits of neighbourhood as one  kilometre  or  three  kilometre,  within  which  a  primary  or  upper  primary  school  has  to  be established by the appropriate Government or the local authority. Accordingly, the States have also  notified  area  or  limits  of  their  neighbourhood  norms,  factoring  in  their  State  specific condition, for opening of schools. As reported by States and UTs in their Annual Work Plan, 2018-19, 97.15% of habitations in the country are covered by primary schools and 96.49% of habitations in the country are covered by upper primary schools.  The habitations that remain uncovered are mostly small or sparsely populated in difficult areas where opening of school is not feasible for which there is a provision of giving transport and escort facility and opening of residential  schools  and  hostels.  Further,  88.24%  of  habitations  were  covered  by  Secondary schools within a distance of 5km.

The number of schools in rural areas during the period 2015-16, 2016-17 and 2017-18(U-DISE provisional) are 1289544, 1297083 and 1311998 respectively.  As per information provided by University  Grants  Commission,  the  number  of  colleges/  recognized  institutions  in  rural  areas during the period 2016-17, 2017-18 and 2018-19 are 20981, 20953 and 22311 respectively.

Under the Centrally Sponsored scheme of Samagra Shiksha which has been launched from 201819,  subsuming  the  erstwhile  Centrally  Sponsored  Schemes  of  Sarva  Shiksha  Abhiyan  (SSA), Rashtriya  Madhyamik  Shiksha  Abhiyan  (RMSA)  and  Teacher  Education  (TE),  there  is  a provision for support for upgradation of schools from primary to upper primary, upper primary to  secondary  and  secondary  schools  to  senior  secondary  level  and  addition  of  new  streams  in existing senior secondary schools, based on appraisals of proposals received from the States and UTs. Accordingly, 27 number of primary schools, 383 number of upper primary schools, 1903 Secondary  schools,  44  Senior  Secondary  schools  and  addition  of  new  stream  in  851  existing senior secondary schools have been approved in the last three years.

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