Lok Sabha Question No. 161 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-07-21
Subject: Schools under Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan
Ministry: EDUCATION
Asked by: Shri Dharmendra Yadav

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

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO161

ANSWERED ON- 21.07.2025

## Schools under Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan

†161 Shri Dharmendra Yadav:

Will the Minister of EDUCATION be pleased to state:

- (a) the number of primary schools, higher primary schools, secondary and higher secondary schools being run under the Sarva Siksha Abhiyan in the country, especially in Uttar Pradesh;
- (b)  the  number  of  such  schools  closed  down  during  the  last  seven  years  along  with  the  reasons therefor;
- (c) the total number of posts of teachers lying vacant at present under the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan in the country, especially in Uttar Pradesh;
- (d) the steps being taken by the Government in collaboration with State Governments to expedite the process of recruitment of qualified teachers to fulfill the criteria regarding the Pupil-Teacher Ratio (PTR) stipulated by RTE Act;
- (e)  whether  the  problem  of  adverse  PTR  is  persisting  due  to  inequitable  deployment  of  teachers despite the availability of adequate number of teachers; and
- (f) if so, the corrective measures taken in this regard?

## ANSWER

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

- (a) The  Department  of  School  and  Literacy  has  launched  an  integrated  Centrally  Sponsored Scheme for School Education - Samagra Shiksha with effect from 2018-19. The scheme has been  formed  subsuming  the  three  erstwhile  Centrally  Sponsored  Schemes  of  Sarva  Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA), Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA) and Teacher Education. The Scheme is aligned with the recommendations of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and aims to ensure that all children have access to quality education with an equitable and inclusive classroom  environment,  which  takes  care  of  their  diverse  background,  multilingual  needs, different academic abilities and makes them active participants in the learning process.

As  per  UDISE+  2023-24,  the  total  number  of  Primary,  Higher  Primary,  Secondary  and Higher  Secondary  Government  schools  in  the  country  including  state  of  Uttar  Pradesh  are  as follows:

## India

| Type       |   Total |   Primary |   Higher Primary |   Secondary |   Higher Secondary |
|------------|---------|-----------|------------------|-------------|--------------------|
| Government | 1017660 |    623026 |           272387 |       53206 |              69041 |

## Uttar Pradesh

| Type       |   Total |   Primary |   Higher Primary |   Secondary |   Higher Secondary |
|------------|---------|-----------|------------------|-------------|--------------------|
| Government |  137102 |     87777 |            46484 |        1523 |               1318 |

- (b) Education is in the Concurrent List of the Constitution and majority of schools come under the  administrative  domain/jurisdiction  of  the  respective  State  Government  and  Union Territory  Administration.  The  opening  &  closing  of  schools  come  under  the  purview  of respective  State  Government  and  UT  Administration.  The  requirement  of  opening  of  new schools/upgradation/strengthening  of  existing  schools  is  worked  out  every  year  by  the respective State/Union Territory depending on their need and priority.

As  per  UDISE,  UDISE+  Reports  the  total  number  of  Government  schools  in  the country and Uttar Pradesh in the last seven years is as follows:

|               | Total Number of Government Schools   | Total Number of Government Schools   | Total Number of Government Schools   | Total Number of Government Schools   | Total Number of Government Schools   | Total Number of Government Schools   | Total Number of Government Schools   |
|---------------|--------------------------------------|--------------------------------------|--------------------------------------|--------------------------------------|--------------------------------------|--------------------------------------|--------------------------------------|
|               | 2017-18                              | 2018-19                              | 2019-20                              | 2020-21                              | 2021-22                              | 2022-23                              | 2023-24                              |
| India         | 1094543                              | 1083747                              | 1032570                              | 1032049                              | 1022386                              | 1016010                              | 1017660                              |
| Uttar Pradesh | 163114                               | 163142                               | 137638                               | 137068                               | 137024                               | 137003                               | 137102                               |

- (c) to  (f)  Education  is  in  the  Concurrent  List  of  the  Constitution  and  the  recruitment,  service conditions and rational deployment of teachers come under the purview of respective State Government  and  UT  Administration.  Recruitment  of  teachers  in  schools  is  a  continuous process  as  vacancies  keep  arising  due  to  factors  like  retirement,  resignation  and  additional requirements on account of enhanced students' strength/new schools. The onus of recruitment of teachers through a comprehensive technology-based planning and forecasting exercise lies on the respective State Government/Union Territory administration.

The  Central  Government  through  the  Centrally  Sponsored  Scheme  of  Samagra Shiksha, provides financial assistance to the States and UTs to maintain  appropriate PupilTeacher 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. The  Department  of  School  Education  and  Literacy,  from  time  to  time,  through  review meetings and advisories, requests the State Governments and UT administrations to fill up these vacancies and their rational deployment.

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