(a) whether the Government has conducted any study to identify the schools which are functioning in unsafe building in Alwar and other districts of Rajasthan;
(b) if so, the details thereof;
(c) whether any steps are taken/being taken by the Government from a policy-based and administrative point of view to ensure safety for school going children; and
(d) if so, the details thereof?
MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF EDUCATION
(SHRIMATI ANNPURNA DEVI)
(a) and (b) : Education is a subject in the concurrent list of the Constitution and therefore safety and security of the school children in schools administered by States/UTs come under the purview of the respective States and UTs. The Government collects U-DISE+ (Unified District Information System for Education Plus) data of all indicators for all schools in Rajasthan which includes rooms which need major repair and Government schools with dilapidated building through an online Data Capture Format (DCF) filled at school level every year. The Samagra Shiksha scheme supports expenditure on Major repairs in order to ensure safety and better functionality of Schools. The Project Approval Board meeting is organized every year under Samagra Shiksha, in which each State including Rajasthan inter-alia proposes those schools which need major repair. The Annual Work Plan and Budget (AWP&B) for
implementation of Samagra Shiksha is prepared by the State of Rajasthan which is considered in the meeting of the Project Approval Board (PAB) at the commencement of financial year. In 2021-22 and 2022-23, PAB has approved a total amount of Rs. 30.75 crore for 32 dilapidated buildings and major repairs in 37 schools for Rajasthan State.
(c) and (d): Department of School Education and Literacy (DoSEL), Ministry of Education has developed Guidelines on School Safety and Security, which, interalia, contain provisions for fixing the accountability of the school management in the matter of safety and security of children studying in Government, Government-aided and Private Schools. These guidelines have been circulated to all States/UTs/Autonomous Bodies of DoSEL and Stakeholder Ministries on 01.10.2021. The guidelines detail the accountability of various stakeholders and different departments in ensuring the safety and security of children in schools. The guidelines issued by the Center are advisory in nature and States/UTs are expected to implement them and they may incorporate additions/modifications to them, if deemed necessary, according to their specific requirements. These guidelines are uploaded on this Ministry’s website at https://dsel.education.gov.in/sites/default/files/2021-10/guidelines_sss.pdf.
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