Lok Sabha Question No. 1361 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-07-28
Subject: One Country One Education
Ministry: EDUCATION
Asked by: Shri Ramashankar  Vidharthi Rajbhar

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF EDUCATION

## DEPARTMENT OF SCHOOL EDUCATION & LITERACY LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO1361 ANSWERED ON- 28.07.2025

## ONE COUNTRY ONE EDUCATION

†1361. Shri Ramashankar Vidharthi Rajbhar:

Will the Minister of EDUCATION be pleased to state:

(a)  whether  the  Government  proposes  to  close  or  merge  schools  in  many  States  of  the  country including the Uttar Pradesh and if so, the reasons therefor and the possible impacts thereof;

(b) whether the Government proposes to unify the State Board and CBSE Board under the "One Country, One Education" policy and if so, the steps taken by the Government so far;

(c) whether the Government has taken cognizance of the fact that there is a huge shortage of teachers in many schools, dilapidated condition of buildings and lack of digital education and the action plan of the Government to address these issues; and

(d) whether any policy is in place to appoint counselors in all the schools in view of increasing exam stress and suicide incidents?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF EDUCATION (SHRI JAYANT CHAUDHARY)

(a): Education is in the Concurrent list of the Constitution and the opening, merger/closing of schools are  within  the  purview  of  respective  State  Government  and  UT  Administration-which  are  the appropriate Government under the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009.

The National Education Policy 2020 underscores that although consolidation of schools is an option that is often discussed, it must be carried out very judiciously, and only when it is ensured that  there  is  no  impact  on  access  (Para  7.4).  Similarly,  to  ensure  universal  access  to  elementary schools, the RTE Act mandates the establishment of schools by the appropriate government within defined area or neighbourhood limits (Section 6).  Therefore, to achieve better learning outcomes and appropriate Pupil-Teacher Ratios (PTR) across upper primary and secondary levels, some states have adopted appropriate strategies to establish the larger schools as per aspirations of the public

The aim of the school complex/cluster is to ensure  greater resource efficiency and more effective  functioning,  coordination,  leadership,  governance,  and  management  of  schools  in  the cluster.

(b): The Government of India is committed to ensuring equitable and high-quality education for all students across the country, in alignment with the vision of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. While there is no proposal to unify all school boards under a single board such as CBSE, the

Government is taking comprehensive steps to promote curricular and assessment equivalence among State  Boards  and  Central  Boards  to  ensure  that  all  children  have  equal  learning  opportunities, regardless of the board they study under.

(c): The recruitment and rational deployment of teachers come under the purview of the respective State Governments/UT Administration. The Central Government through the Centrally Sponsored Scheme  of  Samagra  Shiksha,  provides  financial  assistance  to  the  States  and  UTs  to  maintain appropriate Pupil-Teacher Ratio (PTR) for various levels of schooling, as per norms prescribed in the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009, as amended from time to time.

Under  the  Samagra  Shiksha  Scheme  financial  support  is  provided  to  the  State/  UTs  for creation  of  infrastructure  and  basic  facilities  for  the  components  like,  construction  of  additional classrooms, toilets for Girls & Boys with running water facilities as well as CwSN toilets, boundary walls, Science Labs, Computers Labs, Library Room, Ramps, Major Repairs, Supply of Furniture etc. In this regard, the States and UTs prepare their Annual Work Plan and Budget (AWP&B) based on their requirements and priorities and submit to the Ministry of Education prior to the beginning of every financial year. The same is considered and appraised/approved by Project Approval Board (PAB) in consultation with the States and UTs as per the schematic/ programmatic and financial norms of the Scheme and availability of budgetary resources.

Ministry  of  Education  implements  ICT  and  Digital  initiatives  under  Samagra  Shiksha  to enhance digital learning in Government schools across the country. The initiatives aim to enhance the quality of education by integrating technology into teaching and learning processes. Under the initiatives,  funds  are  provided  for  setting  up  ICT  Labs  and  Smart  Classrooms  according  to  the requirement of State submitted in the Annual Work Plan & Budget (AWP&B).

(d):  National  Education  Policy 2020 stipulates student support as one of the cornerstones of the quality learning. Along with providing suitable resources and infrastructure, the policy recommends availability of counselling systems to ensure student's physical, psychological and emotional wellbeing enabling them to handle stress and emotional adjustment.

NCERT has developed and launched National Curriculum Framework for the Foundational Stage (NCF-FS) and National Curriculum Framework for School Education (NCF-SE). Both the NCFs integrate the mental well-being of students.

Further,  Ministry  of  Education,  has  launched  an  initiative,  Manodarpan,  with  the  aim  to provide psychosocial support to students, their families and teachers across the country, for mental health and well-being. All activities undertaken under the Manodarpan initiative are aimed towards supporting the metal health and well-being of students from schools, including those students who are preparing for competitive examinations.