Lok Sabha Question No. 1149 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2024-07-29
Subject: Free Education to All
Ministry: EDUCATION
Asked by: Shri Vijayakumar Alias Vijay Vasanth

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

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1149 ANSWERED ON 29 th  JULY, 2024

## Free Education to All

1149. Shri Vijayakumar Alias Vijay Vasanth:

Will the Minister of EDUCATION be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government is planning to introduce free education to all up to higher education;
- (b) if so, the details thereof and road map in this regard; and
- (c) if not, the reasons therefor?

## ANSWER

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

(a) to (c) The Right to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009 effective from 1st  April,  2010  is  applicable  to  all  States  and  UTs  and  mandates  the  appropriate Government to provide free and compulsory elementary education to every child of the age  6  to  14  years  in  a  neighborhood  school.  Section  12(1)(c)  of  the  RTE  Act,  2009 provides  for  admission  of  children  belonging  to  weaker  sections  and  disadvantaged groups in the schools specified in sub-clauses (iii) and (iv) of clause (n) of section 2 in Class I (or below) to the extent of at least 25 percent of the strength of that class. The total budget allocated under 12(1)(c) to all the States/UTs is as under :

|   S.No. | Year    |   Funds approved ( Rs. in lakh) |
|---------|---------|---------------------------------|
|       1 | 2021-22 |                          164012 |
|       2 | 2022-23 |                          158693 |
|       3 | 2023-24 |                          213981 |

Source : PRABANDH

Samagra Shiksha, launched in 2018, is an overarching programme for the school education  sector  extending  from  preschool  to  Class  12  with  the  broader  goal  of improving school effectiveness measured in terms of equal opportunities for schooling and equitable learning outcomes by subsuming the three erstwhile Schemes of Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA), Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA) and Teacher Education (TE). Central share of Samagra Shiksha allocated in last 3 years is as under :

|   S.No. | Year    | Allocated Central Share (Rs. In crore)   |
|---------|---------|------------------------------------------|
|       1 | 2021-22 | 34,671                                   |
|       2 | 2022-23 | 44,494                                   |
|       3 | 2023-24 | 45,654                                   |

Source : PRABANDH

The  new  integrated  scheme  envisages  school  education  as  a  continuum  from pre-school to senior secondary level and aims to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education  at  all  levels.  The  main  objectives  of  the  scheme  are  provision  of  quality education  and  enhancing  learning  outcomes  of  students,  bridging  social  and  gender gaps in school education, ensuring minimum standards in schooling provision, support to states in the implementation of RTE Act, 2009 and strengthening of teacher education institutions.  This  scheme  focuses  on  providing  support  to  all  States/  UTs  for  different interventions like; in-service training  of  teachers  and  schools  heads,  conduct  of achievement surveys at National and State level, composite school grant to every school for  providing  a  conducive  learning  environment,  library  grants,  provision  of  textbooks and school uniforms as per Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act,  2009,  Rashtriya  Avishkar  Abhiyan  (RAA),  remedial  teaching  for  academically weaker  students,  ICT  and  digital  initiatives,  grants  for  sports  and  physical  education, School  Evaluation,  Padhe  Bharat  Badhe  Bharat  (PBBB),  Performance  Indicators  for Teachers (PINDICS), Kala Utsav, Excursion trips for students, Twinning of Schools and Student and Teacher Exchange Programme.

A new Centrally Sponsored Scheme named Pradhan Mantri Schools for Rising India  (PM  SHRI)  has  been  launched  in  2022.  These  14500  schools,  including elementary, Secondary and Higher Secondary, are to showcase the implementation of the National Education Policy 2020 and emerge as exemplar schools over a period of time,  and  also  offer  leadership  to  other  schools  in  the  neighbourhood.  The  major interventions  in  the  PM  SHRI  Scheme  includes  Quality  and  Innovation  (Learning Enhancement  Programme,  Holistic  Progress  Card,  Innovative  Pedagogies,  Bagless days,  Internships  with  Local  artisans,  Capacity  building  etc.)  and  beneficiary  oriented entitlements under Right to Education (RTE) Act.

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