MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT
(SHRI UPENDRA KUSHWAHA)
(a): No, Madam.
(b): The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009 provides a legal
entitlement to every child of the age of six to fourteen years for free and compulsory elementary education
in a neighbourhood school. The Centrally Sponsored Scheme of Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA), which is
the designated scheme for meeting the objective of RTE Act, 2009, provides assistance to State
Governments and UT Administrations for universalization of elementary education in the country. Statewise
details of release of funds under SSA to States and UTs including West Bengal in the last three years
are at Annexure-I.
(c): Under the SSA, the districts with high concentration of population of Scheduled Castes (SCs),
Scheduled Tribes (STs) and Muslims have been identified as Special Focus Districts (SFDs). One of the
criteria for identifying the SFDs is 25% and above population of SCs and STs in a particular district,
61 SC-SFDs and 109 ST-SFDs have been identified under SSA. State/UT-wise details of these SFDs are at
Annexure-II.
(d): The Central Government provides financial assistance to States and UTs under the Sarva Shiksha
Abhiyan (SSA) and Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA), with a focus on improving quality of
education at elementary and secondary level. Under these programmes funding is provided to States and
UTs for professional development of teachers through in-service training, grant of Teaching Learning
Material, training in multilingual education and sensitization of teachers to tribal cultures and practices.
Under SSA, emphasis has been laid on States and UTs to recruit teachers from similar social and cultural
backgrounds and provision of curricula and textbooks that are not alienating for tribal children.
(e): The earlier Centrally Sponsored Scheme of Model School Scheme envisaged setting up of one
model school per block as a benchmark of excellence at the block level. The scheme had two modes of
implementation, viz. (i) setting up of schools in educationally backward blocks (EBBs) through State/UT
Governments, and (ii) the remaining schools under Public-Private Partnership (PPP) mode in blocks which
are not educationally backward. The scheme has been delinked from the support of the Government of
India with effect from 2015-16 and stands transferred to States/UTs in the light of higher devolution of
funds to States as envisaged by the 14th Finance Commission. Till 31.3.2015, a total of 2329 Model
Schools were sanctioned in the States, details of which are given at Annexure-III.
(f): SSA programme provides a number of incentives to encourage enrolment and retention and to
reduce the out of school or dropout children in schools. These include enhancing access to primary, upper
primary schools, strengthening school infrastructure like school building, additional classrooms, toilets,
drinking water facilities etc., improving the teacher pupil ratio as well as strategies for gender positive
textbooks, gender sensitization of teachers and educational administrators. Since inception of SSA in
2001 till 31.3.2016, opening of 2.04 lakh new primary schools and 1.59 lakh new upper primary schools;
and construction of 18.61 lakh additional classrooms have been sanctioned to States and UTs to enable the
States to provide access to elementary education. In addition, 3609 Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalayas,
which are residential schools for girls at upper primary level, have also been sanctioned to the States for
improving access to marginalized girls particularly out of school, either drop out or never enrolled. The
Mid-day Meal programme is implemented in elementary schools, to help retain children in schools.
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