Lok Sabha Question No. 187 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2016-04-25
Subject: Absence of Teachers
Ministry: HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT
Asked by: JANARDAN SINGH SIGRIWAL

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT

## DEPARTMENT OF SCHOOL EDUCATION & LITERACY

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 187

## TO BE ANSWERED ON 25 th  April, 2016

## Absence of Teachers

## 187. SHRI JANARDAN SINGH SIGRIWAL:

Will the Minister of HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT be pleased to state:

- (a)  whether  the  Government  proposes  incentivizing  Government  schools  by providing performance bonus to teachers and principals;
- (b) if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor;
- (c)  whether  the  Government  has  taken  cognizance  of  the  World  Bank  report which  found  that  25%  of  Government  primary  school  teachers  are  absent from work;
- (d)  if  so,  the  details  thereof  along  with  the  steps  taken  by  the  Government  to improve the performance of the teachers; and
- (e) the steps taken by the Government to promote e-learning as a remedy to the shortage of good teachers?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT (SMT. SMRITI ZUBIN IRANI)

- (a)  &  (b):  There  is  no  scheme  in  this  Ministry  to  give  performance  bonus  to teachers  and  principals.    However,  there  is  a  scheme  of  National  Award  to teachers to recognize good performance of teachers across the country. Further, Section 24 of the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009 mandates that a teacher appointed under sub-section (1) of the Section 23 shall perform the following duties, namely (a) maintain regularity and  punctuality  in  attending  school  and  (b)  complete  entire  curriculum  within specified time.
- (c) & (d):  The  World  Bank  took  up  a  research  project  in  2004  on  teacher absenteeism  in  6  countries,  including  India  and  conducted  a  survey  in  3700

schools in 20 States.  The report, inter alia, concluded that twenty-five per cent of teachers  in  Government  primary  schools  remained  absent  from  work  on  any given day, and only 50% of teachers present in schools were actually engaged in teaching.

The  State/UT  Governments  monitor  teachers'  attendance  through  School Management Committees/School Management Development Committees/Block Resource Centres/Clusters Resource Centres.  States like Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu have initiated biometric attendance on pilot basis in their States.

(e): E-Pathshala  was  launched  during  the  National  Conference  on  ICT  in School Education held on 7th November, 2015.  It is a platform developed by National Council for Educational Research and Training (NCERT) for showcasing and disseminating all educational e-resources including textbooks, audio and video material, periodicals and a variety of other print and non-print materials. The platform addresses the dual challenge of reaching out to a diverse clientele and bridging the digital divide (geographical, socio-cultural and linguistic), offering comparable quality of e-contents and ensuring its free access at  every  time  and  every  place.  Students,  teachers,  educators  and  parents  can access  e-books  through  multiple  technology  platforms  i.e.  mobile  phones  and tablets  and  on  web  through  laptops  and  desktops.    Further,  under  Computer Aided Learning (CAL) component of Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA), States/UTs have been supported financially to promote e-learning of Science and Mathematics at Upper Primary level.

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