Lok Sabha Question No. 3926 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2022-03-28
Subject: Increasing Number of Students in Government Schools
Ministry: Education
Asked by: Keshari Devi Patel

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF EDUCATION DEPARTMENT OF SCHOOL EDUCATION & LITERACY

## LOK SABHA

UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3926

TO BE ANSWERED ON 28.03.2022

## Increasing Number of Students in Government Schools

## 3926. SHRIMATI KESHARI DEVI PATEL:

Will the Minister of EDUCATION be pleased to state:

- (a)  whether  the  number  of  children  in  the  Government  schools  has  been  increased during Covid-19 and at present;
- (b) the details of the steps taken by the Government to provide quality education to such children;
- (c) the status of school teachers (primary schools, middle school and high school) in the Government schools of Uttar Pradesh along with the ratio of student-teacher;
- (d) whether the number of teachers is not proportionate to the students; and
- (e) if so, the details of the steps taken in this regard?

## ANSWER MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF EDUCATION (SMT. ANNPURNA DEVI)

(a) to (e): The Department of School Education and Literacy with effect from 2018-19 has  launched  an  Integrated  Centrally  Sponsored  Scheme  for  School  EducationSamagra  Shiksha  Under  the  scheme,  financial  assistance  is  provided  to  States  and UTs  for  undertaking  various  activities  for  universalization  and  delivery  of  equitable quality  school  education,  including  opening/strengthening  of  new  schools  upto  senior secondary level,  construction of  school  buildings  &  additional  classrooms,  setting  up, up-gradation  and  running  of  Kasturba  Gandhi  Balika  Vidyalayas,  setting  up  of  Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Avasiya Vidyalayas, free uniforms, free text books, transport allowance and undertaking enrolment & retention drives.

The  Government  of  India  has  taken  following  measures  for  the  betterment  of school education across the country:

1.  Central  RTE  Rules  have  been  amended  on  20th  February,  2017  to  include reference on class-wise, subject-wise Learning Outcomes at Elementary level.
2.  A  70  indicator  based  matrix  Performance  Grading  Index  (PGI)  has  been developed to grade the States and UTs. This index has now been extended to district level to assess the Educational performance of the districts.
3.  NISHTHA  (National Initiative for School Heads  and  Teachers  Holistic Advancement), an Integrated Teacher Training Programme has been introduced.
4. Learning Outcomes for Secondary level have been notified.
5.  The  National  Institute  of  Open  Schooling  (NIOS)  was  entrusted  to  conduct teachers professional training through ODL (Open Distance Learning) mode.
6.  Availability  of  vast  body  of  e-content  on  digital  educational  platforms,  under PM e-vidya.

As education is in the Concurrent List of the Constitution, the recruitment, service conditions  and  deployment  of  teachers  come  under  the  purview  of  respective  State Government/ UT Administration.

The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009 in its Schedule  lays  down  Pupil-Teacher  Ratio  (PTR)  for  both  primary  and  upper  primary schools. At primary level, the PTR norm is maximum of 30:1 for enrolment upto 200 and maximum 40:1 thereafter.  The actual deployment of teachers in schools comes under purview of respective State Government.

The  recruitment  of  teachers  in  schools  is  a  continuous  process  and  the vacancies  keep  arising  due  to  retirement,  resignation  and  additional  requirements  on account of enhanced students' strength/new schools.  However, Ministry of Education requests the States and UT Governments for filling-up the vacant posts of teachers and their  rational  deployment, through Review meetings and advisories from time to time. Further, the Central Government through the Centrally Sponsored Scheme of Samagra Shiksha,  provides  assistance  to  the  States  and  UTs  for  deployment  of  additional teachers to maintain appropriate Pupil Teacher Ratio as per the prescribed norms for various levels of schooling. As per the Unified District Information System for Education (UDISE+), 2019-20, the Pupil- Teacher Ratio at Government schools in State of Uttar Pradesh  at  Primary,  Upper  Primary  and  Secondary  level  is  29:1,  28:1  and  28:1 respectively.

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