Question : INFRASTRUCTURE FOR PRIMARY SCHOOLS

(a) whether the Government have any scheme for developing and strengthening the infrastructure required for Primary Schools in the country;

(b) if so, the details thereof; and

(c) the target fixed for the purpose during the Ninth Five Year Plan?

MINISTER OF HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT (DR. MURLI MANOHAR JOSHI)

(a) to (c) : A Statement is laid on the Table of the Sabha.

STATEMENT REFERRED TO IN REPLY OF THE LOK SABHA STAQRRED QUESTION NO. 343 FOR 18.04.2000 REGARDING INFRASTRUCTURE FOR PRIMARY SCHOOLS BY SHRI K MURLEEDHARAN.

(a) and (b) : The responsibility for provision of infrastructural facilities for primary schools mainly rests with the State Governments and Union Territory Administrations. The Central Government has also launched Centrally Sponsored Schemes of Operation Blackboard, Restructuring and Reorganisation of Teacher Education and District Primary Education Programme (DPDP) in order to bring about substantial improvement in the facilities being provided for primary education.

Under the Scheme of Operation Blackboard()B), financial assistance was provided for teaching learning equipment (TLE) to all primary schools existing as on 30.09.1986, and for salary of additional teachers appointed by States/UTs in single teacher primary schools. Provision for a third teacher, where enrolment exceeds 100 in a primary school, is made under the expanded OB Scheme. Keeping in view the importance of primary school buildings, funds are also released for construction of school buildings by Ministry of Rural Development out of the savings of Jawahar Gram Samridhi Yojana (earlier Jawahar Rozgar Yojana).

The scheme of Restructuring and Reorganisation of Teacher Education provides for financial assistance to States for setting of District Institutes of Education & Training (DIETs) to organise academic and resource support to elementary education teachers.

District Primary Education Programme(DPEP) is currently in operation in 219 districts in 15 States with the funding shared between Government of India and Stats in the ratio of 85:15 respectively. It provides for improvement of infrastructural facilities in primary schools and setting of Block Resource Centres (BRCs) and Cluster Resource Centres (CRCs) to enable professional guidance to primary school teachers. DPEP also finances appointment of additional teachers in the new schools opened under the programme and for additional teachers in existing schools on account of increase in enrolment. A grant of Rs. 500/- per teacher is provided for teaching learning aids and consumbles. Besides, a grant of Rs. 2000/- per annum is also provided to each school through Village Education Committees for improvement of school facilites.

(c) : In so far as OB Scheme is concerned funds are released to States/UTs on the basis of requirements projected in their proposals. As such, no target has been fixed. During the Ninth Plan, till 31.03.2000, 48,153 posts of teaches for primary schools have been sanctioned. Besides, Rs. 10,000/- has been released as a special assistance for TLE for each of the 12,633 primary schools affected by the recent super- cyclone in Orissa. During the Ninth Plan the focus on Teacher Education Scheme will remain on consolidation and progressive operationalisation of the 451 DIETs sanctioned so far and to expand the reach of DIETs upto 500 Districts in the country. As regards DPEP, the project period ranges between 5-7 years and is not conterminus with the Five Year Plans. The targets are fixed for the duration of the project. The project envisages construction of 34,984 school buildings for new and existing schools, construction of 38,832 additional classrooms, repairs to 29,266 school buildings and provision of toilet and drinking water facilities to 90,520 schools. It also aims to establish 3412 BRCs and 17616 CRCs.