Lok Sabha Question No. 1732 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-02-13
Subject: Impact of Permanently Closed Down Schools in Maharashtra
Ministry: Education
Asked by: Amol Ramsing Kolhe

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF EDUCATION DEPARTMENT OF SCHOOL EDUCATION & LITERACY

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.1732 ANSWERED ON 13 th  February, 2023

## Impact of Permanently Closed Down Schools in Maharashtra

1732.   DR. AMOL RAMSING KOLHE:

Will the Minister of EDUCATION be pleased to state:

- (a) the details of Government schools permanently closed down in recent years in Maharashtra and also the reasons therefor;
- (b) whether the Government has any data regarding the students who left their studies due to closure of these schools and if so, the details thereof;
- (c) the steps taken by the Government to get these children back to school;
- (d) whether the Government has launched any programme at school level to compensate the educational loss suffered by the children due to closure of schools and if so, the details thereof;
- (e) whether there are various resources/ opportunities available for children who have dropped out or never attended school to get them back into the system; and
- (f) the steps taken by the Government to prioritize the opening of these schools?

## A N S W E R

## MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF EDUCATION (DR. SUBHAS SARKAR)

## (a) to (f): Total number of Government schools in Maharashtra as per UDISE+ Data:

| Year    |   Number of Government Schools |
|---------|--------------------------------|
| 2021-22 |                          65639 |
| 2020-21 |                          65734 |
| 2019-20 |                          65886 |

Education is in the Concurrent list of the Constitution and the opening and merger/closing of schools  are  within  the  purview  of  respective  State  Government  and  UT  Administration.  The Right  of  Children  to  Free  and  Compulsory  Education  (RTE)  Act,  2009  provides  children's access to elementary schools within the defined area or limits of neighbourhood. In pursuance to Section 6 of the RTE Act, all States have notified area or limits of their neighbourhood norms. Further, Section 8 of the RTE Act, 2009 also mandates that the appropriate government shall provide free and compulsory elementary education to every child and will ensure availability of neighbourhood schools.

Government of India in partnership with the States and UT Governments have taken a range of initiatives  to  ensure  that  all  children  are  enrolled  in  schools  and  complete  their  elementary education.  The  Department  of  School  Education  and  Literacy  has  launched  an  Integrated Scheme for School Education - Samagra Shiksha with effect from 2018-19 which subsumes the three erstwhile Centrally Sponsored Schemes of Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan and Teacher Education. The Samagra Shiksha scheme has now been aligned with the recommendations of National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and has been continued for a period of five years with effect from 01.04.2021 to 31.03.2026. The scheme aims to ensure that  all  children  have  access  to  quality  education  with  an  equitable  and  inclusive  classroom environment which should take care of their diverse background, multilingual needs, different academic abilities and make them active participants in the learning process.

Under the scheme, financial assistance is provided to States and UTs for undertaking various activities to reduce number of Out of School Children (OoSC) 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. Further, special training for age appropriate admission of out of school children and residential as well as non-residential training  for  older  children,  seasonal  hostels  /  residential  camps,  special  training  centres  at worksites,  transport/  escort  facility  are  also  supported  to  bring  out  of  school  children  to  the formal schooling system. Further, under the student oriented component for the children with special needs, financial assistance is provided for identification and assessment of children with special needs, aids and appliances, braille kits and books, appropriate teaching learning material and stipend to girl students with disability etc.

Under  'Pradhan  Mantri  Poshan  Shakti  Nirman'  (PM  POSHAN)  one  hot  cooked  meal  in Government and Government aided schools is provided to students at the elementary level of education. Also, Section 10 of the RTE Act states that it shall be the duty of every parent or guardian  to  admit  or  cause  to  be  admitted  his  or  her  child  or  ward,  as  the  case  may  be,  for elementary  education  in  the  neighbourhood  school.  Also,  under  National  Means-cum-Merit Scholarship  Scheme  scholarship  is  awarded  to  meritorious  students  of  economically  weaker sections  to  arrest  their  drop  out  at  class  VIII  and  encourage  them  to  continue  the  study  at secondary stage.