MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT
(SHRI UPENDRA KUSHWAHA)
(a) to (c): The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009 under section 19 provides for Norms and Standards for a school. The appropriate Governments have the responsibility and mandate to provide school infrastructure including drinking water facility and separate toilets for boys and girls in schools in accordance with the norms prescribed in the Schedule to the RTE Act, 2009 and respective State RTE Rules. All States and UTs have been advised to comply with the aforesaid provision of the RTE Act, 2009.
The Central Government supports States and Union Territories for creation and augmentation of infrastructure facilities including New Primary School and Upper Primary School buildings, additional class rooms, drinking water and toilets facilities in government elementary schools under Centrally Sponsored Scheme of Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA).
Further, the Centrally sponsored scheme of Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA) envisages universalizing access to secondary schools by providing a secondary school within a reasonable distance of every habitation, improving quality of education through making all secondary schools conform to prescribed norms and removal of gender, socio-economic and disability barriers. Under RMSA, financial assistance is provided to the States/ UTs for opening of new Government Secondary
schools and strengthening of existing government secondary schools along with classrooms, integrated laboratory, library, Art and Craft room, Toilet Blocks, Drinking Water provisions, etc.
Under Swachh Vidyalaya Initiative, 4.17 lakh toilets were constructed/made functional in 2.61 lakh elementary and secondary government schools in a period of one year, thus ensuring that every government school has separate functional toilets for girls and boys. This Department has requested all States/UTs to ensure proper maintenance of toilets to keep them functional and to also take steps to bring about behavioural changes among students and teachers through an intensive awareness campaign to ensure that the toilets are properly used and are kept neat and clean. Swachh Vidyalaya Puraskar has been instituted from 2016-17 at District, State and National level as a next step to Swachh Vidyalaya Initiative, to encourage well performing schools and states.
For maintenance of elementary schools including toilets, a School Maintenance Grant of Rs.5,000/- per school (having upto 3 classrooms) and Rs. 10,000/- per school (having more than 3 classrooms) is sanctioned under SSA. For secondary schools, under RMSA an amount of Rs. 50,000 per school is provided as annual School Grant.
The Ministry of Panchayati Raj has advised the Panchayati Raj Departments of all States to include the provision for construction and regular repair/maintenance of the toilets in schools in the Gram Panchayat Development Plans under 14th Finance Commission grants. Ministry of Drinking Water & Sanitation, Ministry of Panchayati Raj and Department of School Education and Literacy have jointly requested all States and UTs to ensure the Gram Panchayats take the lead in convening meetings with the Parent Teacher Associations of the schools for regular cleaning of the school toilets and for the disposal of solid and liquid waste generated in schools.
States/UTs are also supported on several interventions to improve quality of education including regular in-service teachers’ training, induction training for newly recruited teachers, recruitment of additional teachers for improving pupil teacher ratio, academic support for teachers through block and cluster resource centres, digital initiatives etc.
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