Lok Sabha Question No. 3381 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2019-12-09
Subject: Difficulties faced by School Children
Ministry: HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT
Asked by: N.K. Premachandran

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

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3381 TO BE ANSWERED ON 9th   DECEMBER, 2019

## Difficulties faced by School Children

3381. SHRI N.K.PREMACHANDRAN: Will the Minister of HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT be pleased to state: (a) whether the Government has taken note of the fact that children are facing difficulties in primary  and  pre-primary  schools  and  if  so,  the  details  of  the  problems  identified  and solutions implemented; (b)  whether  the  Government has initiated action for the development of primary and preprimary schools and if so, the details thereof; (c)  the  details  of  the  action  taken  by  the  Government  to  provide  nutritious  food  to  school children  and  the initiatives  taken  by  the  Government  to  ensure  good  physical  and  mental health of students; (d)  whether  the  Government proposes to establish counselling centres at school level for ensuring the mental health of children and if so, the action taken thereon; (e) whether the Government proposes to improve the quality of the education in primary and pre-primary level; and (f)  whether  the  Government  proposes  to  implement  children  protocol  in  educational

- institutions for ensuring their health and if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

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

(a) to (f) : The Department has launched the Samagra Shiksha - 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 envisages the 'school' as a  continuum from pre-school, primary, upper primary, secondary to Senior Secondary levels.

The major objectives of the Samagra Shiksha are provisioning 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, promoting vocationalisation of education, supporting States and UTs in implementation of Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009 and strengthening and up-gradation of SCERTs/State Institutes of Education and DIETs.

The  Samagra  Shiksha  aims  to  achieve  universal  access  of  all  children,  including children of weaker sections of society, at all levels of education in an inclusive and equitable manner by provisioning of schooling facilities to the children belonging to Scheduled Castes (SC),  Scheduled  Tribes  (ST)  and  Minority  communities,  children  affected  with  migration, urban  deprived  children,  homeless  children,  children  without  adult  protection,  children affected with LWE extremism,  children affected with violence etc.   Preference for various interventions  is  given  to  Educationally  Backward  Blocks  (EBBs),  LWE  affected  districts, Special Focus Districts (SFDs) and the Aspirational Districts.

This  Ministry  vide  its  letters  dated  23.11.2010,  26.03.2014    and  8.06.2016      has advised all the States/UT Governments to adopt non-discriminatory, rational and transparent admission process with regard to admission in class I or pre-primary class.

Further, the Centrally-Sponsored Scheme of Mid-Day Meal (MDM) is implemented to improve the nutritional status by providing hot cooked meal to children studying in Classes IVIII of Government,  Government-Aided  Schools, Special Training Centres including Madrasas and Maqtabs.

Under Samagra Shiksha, Guidance and counselling is an important aspect at various levels  of  school  education  that  aims  at  providing  educational,  personal  and  vocational guidance and counselling service to children. Realizing the need for holistic development of children, Sports and Physical Education component has been introduced for encouragement of Sports, Physical activities, Yoga, Co-curricular activities etc.

In  addition  of  the  above,  advisory  has  been  issued  to  States  and  UTs  for  issuing necessary instructions  to  the  schools  for  conducting  awareness  lectures  on  deficiency  of Vitamin-D in school assemblies and for conducting outdoor activities/ physical activities in field/open  area  during  the  intervals  so  that  students  are  benefitted  from  sun  exposure. Department of School Education and Literacy in co-ordination with Department of Sports, has  circulated  instructions  on  Fit  India  School  Ranking  and  Fit  India  week  in  schools  to States and UTs.

CBSE has made Health and Physical Education compulsory in all classes from I-XII. All students in school are compulsorily required to participate in at least two sports activities as per their  interest  and  capability  and  this has  been included in  the  eligibility  criteria    to appear  in  Board  Exams  of  classes  X  and  XII.  The  board  has  mandated  appointment  of counsellors  and  wellness  teachers  on  full  time  basis.  Kendriya  Vidyalayas  (KVs)  and Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas (JNVs) also have norms for engaging counsellors to address the needs of students.

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