Lok Sabha Question No. 1393 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2019-07-01
Subject: Quality of Education in Rural Areas
Ministry: HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT
Asked by: Rajeshbhai Naranbhai Chudasama

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

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION No. 1393 TO BE ANSWERED ON 01.07.2019

## Quality of Education in Rural Areas

## 1393. SHRI RAJESHBHAI CHUDASAMA:

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

- (a) whether  the  Government  proposes  to  implement  the  principle  of  equity  in  primary education in rural areas;
- (b) if so, the details thereof;
- (c) whether the Government proposes to prepare an action plan to strengthen the infrastructure and quality of primary education in rural areas;
- (d) if so, the details thereof; and
- (e) if not, the reasons therefor?

## A N S W E R

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

(a) & (b) : The Government of India has launched Samagra Shiksha - an Integrated Scheme for school education, w.e.f. 2018-19, which 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.    It  envisages  the  'school'  as  a  continuum  from pre-school,  primary,  upper  primary,  secondary  to  senior  secondary  levels  and  susbsumes  the three  erstwhile  centrally  sponsored  schemes  i.e.  Sarva  Shiksha  Abhiyan  (SSA),  Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA) and Teacher Education (TE).

Bridging gender and social category gaps at all levels of school education is one of the major objectives of the scheme. The scheme reaches out to girls and children belonging to Scheduled Caste  (SC),  Scheduled  Tribe  (ST),  minority  communities  and  transgender.  The  scheme  also gives attention to urban deprived children, children affected by periodic migration and children living in remote and scattered habitations. Under the scheme, provision has been made for giving preference  to  Special  Focus  Districts  (SFDs),  Educationally  Backward  Blocks  (EEBs),  LWE affected  districts,  and  aspirational  districts  while  planning  interventions  like  setting  up  of primary schools, upper primary schools, construction of additional classrooms, toilets, Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalayas (KGBVs).

(c) to (e) :  The  Samagra  Shiksha  scheme  supports  States  for  strengthening  of  school infrastructure including in rural areas.  The scheme provides for infrastructural strengthening of existing  government  schools  based  on  the  gaps  determined  by  Unified  District  Information System  for  Education  (UDISE)  and  proposals  received  from  respective  States/UTs.   The scheme also provides for annual maintenance and repair of existing school buildings, toilets and other facilities to upkeep the infrastructure in good condition.

Samagra  Shiksha  focuses  on  improvement  in  quality  of  education  by  providing  support  for different interventions like  in-service  training  of  teachers  and  school  heads,  conduct  of achievement  surveys  at  state  and  national  level,  composite  school  grant  to  every  school  for providing  a  conducive  learning  environment,  grants  for  library,  sports  and  physical  activities, support  for  Rashtriya  Avishkar  Abhiyan,  ICT  and  digital  initiatives,  School    Leadership development programme, remedial teaching for academically weaker students, support for Padhe Bharat Badhe Bharat, etc.

Besides, the following are some of the steps taken to improve infrastructure and the quality of primary education:-

- (i) Since  the  inception  of  the  erstwhile  Centrally  Sponsored  Scheme,  Sarva  Shiksha Abhiyan,  in 2001 till 31.03.2018, construction of 3.12 lakh school buildings, 18.87 lakh additional  classrooms,  provision  of  2.42  lakh  drinking  water  facility,  construction  of 3.95 lakh Boys' toilets, 5.18 lakh separate girls' toilets and 1.41 lakh CWSN toilets have been  sanctioned  to  States  and  UTs,  out  of  which  States  and  UTs  have  reported construction of 2.94 lakh school buildings, 18.03 lakh additional classrooms, provision of  2.35  lakh  drinking  water facility,  construction of 3.76 lakh Boys' toilets, 5.07 lakh separate girls' toilets and 1.21 lakh CWSN toilets.
- (ii) The Central rules to the RTE Act, 2009 have been amended on 20th February, 2017 to include  reference  on  class-wise  and  subject-wise  learning  outcomes,  which  have accordingly been finalised for all subjects upto the elementary stage and shared with the states and UTs.
- (iii) National  Achievement Survey for classes  3,  5  &  8  based  on  Learning  Outcomes  was conducted on 13 th November, 2017 to enable States & UTs to identify gaps in learning outcomes at district level and design strategies to address these gaps.
- (iv) Section  23(2)  of  the  RTE  Act  has  been  amended  to  extend  the  period  of  training  of untrained in-service elementary teachers to 31 st March, 2019.
- (v) The  National  Institute  of  Open  Schooling  (NIOS)  has  been  entrusted  to  conduct  this training through Open and Distance Learning (ODL) mode.  The online D.El.Ed course has been started from 3 rd October, 2017.  More than 13 lakh teachers have joined these courses.

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