Question : UNTRAINED PARA TEACHERS

(a) whether there is a dearth of good teachers in the country;

(b) if so, the reasons therefor;

(c) whether the Government has conducted any study to assess the performance of teachers under the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) in the country and if so, the details and the outcome thereof;

(d) whether a proportion of para-teachers employed in primary and upper primary schools are untrained and if so, the details thereof and the reasons therefor along with the number of untrained teachers in these schools as on date, State-wise;

(e) whether such untrained teachers are eligible for these schools according to Right to Education Act and if so, the details thereof; and

(f) the funds allocated/spent and the number of teachers trained under SSA in the country including Madhya Pradesh during the last three years and the current year?

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

(a) & (b): Under section 23 of the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009, the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE) has laid down that a person should possess minimum educational and professional qualifications along with passing of Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) to be con- ducted by the appropriate Government for appointment as a teacher. A total of 15.06 lakh teacher posts have been funded under Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) at elementary level upto 31st March, 2014.

(c): The Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) had commissioned studies through an inde- pendent agency in 2007 and 2013 which revealed that average teachers attendance improved from 81.7% in 2006-07 to 84.8% in 2012-13 at primary level, and from 80.5% in 2006-07 to 83.1% in 2012- 13 at upper primary level.

The Performance Indicators for Elementary School Teachers (PINDICS) developed by the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) for assessing the performance of teachers have been shared with the States/UTs for its implementation. In addition, States/UTs have been financially supported for conducting State level Achievement Surveys (SLAS) for monitoring student performance for a feedback on teaching learning practices in schools.

(d) & (e): There are 4.5 lakh untrained teachers in 19 States/UTs who do not possess the requisite qualifications as prescribed by the NCTE. The State-wise details are at Annexure. The Central Government has notified relaxation for these States with a commitment that these teachers have to complete their professional qualification within the stipulated time.

(f): The Central Government has allocated funds to the tune of Rs. 673.04 Crores for providing training to 11.48 lakh untrained teachers under SSA in the country including Madhya Pradesh during the last three years and the current year.