Lok Sabha Question No. 24 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2021-07-19
Subject: Financial Assistance to Students
Ministry: Education
Asked by: Manickam Tagore B, Kuldeep Rai Sharma, Supriya Sadanand Sule, Subhash Ramrao Bhamre, DNV Senthilkumar. S., Sunil Dattatray Tatkare, Amol Ramsing Kolhe

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF EDUCATION

## DEPARTMENT OF SCHOOL EDUCATION & LITERACY

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 24 TO BE ANSWERED ON 19.07.2021

## Financial Assistance to Students

## 24. SHRI MANICKAM TAGORE B.:

SHRI KULDEEP RAI SHARMA:

SHRIMATI SUPRIYA SULE:

DR. SUBHASH RAMRAO BHAMRE:

DR. DNV SENTHILKUMAR. S.:

SHRI SUNIL DATTATRAY TATKARE:

DR. AMOL RAMSING KOLHE:

Will the Minister of EDUCATION be pleased to state:

(a)  whether  millions  of  students  dropped  out  of  schools  amidst  the  first  and  second  wave  of Covid-19 pandemic as educational institutions are not open and are taking classes online;

(b)  if  so,  whether  the  Government  has  assessed  the  number  of  students  who  dropped  out  of schools and colleges, State-wise;

(c) whether the Government has developed an online module to compile data on out-of-school children and if so, the details thereof and the objective behind the move;

(d) whether the Government has asked States and Union territories to upload a quarterly progress report and if so, the details thereof; and

(e)  whether  the  Government  is  planning  on  introducing  any  schemes  to  extend  financial assistance  or  fee  waivers  to  students  whose  parents  or  guardians  have  lost  their  jobs  due  to Covid-19 pandemic and if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF EDUCATION

## (SHRI DHARMENDRA PRADHAN)

(a) & (b): In order to prevent drop outs, lower enrolments and loss of learning, the Ministry of Education  has  issued  guidelines  for  identification,  smooth  admission  process  and  continued education of migrant children on 13 th July, 2020, inter-alia, requesting the States to identify and enrol all such children without any procedural formalities and maintain a database of children so admitted.

Further, to ensure that children have access to education with quality and equity and to minimize the  impact  of  the  pandemic  on  school  education  in  the  country,  the  Department  of  School Education has shared guidelines dated 7 th January, 2021 with all States  which, among others, include  identification  of  out  of  school  children  from  age  6-18  years,  enrolment  drives  and awareness generation, student support while schools are closed, continued Education for children with  Special  Needs  (CWSN),  student  support  on  school  reopening  and  Teacher  capacity building.

Also, a comprehensive Covid action plan  has been shared with the States and UTs on 4 th May 2021,    outlining  the  role  of  local  bodies,  formation  of  nodal  group  at  village/town  level, conducting  door-to-door/helpdesk-based/app  based  survey  to  identify  out  of  school  children, their mainstreaming and resource sharing.

(c)  &  (d):  This  Department  has  developed  an  online  module  for  compiling  the  data  of  Out  of School Children (OoSC) identified by each State/UT and their mapping with Special Training Centres (STC) on the PRABANDH Portal (http://samagrashiksha.in). The concerned State/UT validates the child wise information of the identified OoSC and STC uploaded by the concerned Block Resource Centre of the State for monitoring the progress of mainstreaming of OoSC.

(e):  The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009, mandates the appropriate Government to provide free and compulsory elementary education to every child of the  age  6  to  14  years  in  a  neighbourhood  school.  Further,  Education  is  a  subject  in  the Concurrent List of the Constitution and majority of the schools are under the jurisdiction of the State Governments. Thus, the matter relating to fees and its components in schools are regulated in terms of Rules and Instructions of the respective State/UT Government concerned.

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