Question : LACK OF INFRASTRUCTURE IN SCHOOLS

:

(a) whether due to lack of infrastructure in various schools 50% of over three crore class IX students will have to stay out of schools;

(b) if so, whether to avert such a situation, Planning Commission has directed the Ministry and all State Educational Ministries to go in for strengthening vocational and technical education programme;

(c) whether the Government has agreed that there is a huge gap in infrastructure; and

(d) if so, the concrete steps taken/proposed to be taken by the Government in this regard?

THE MINISTER OF HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT, MINISTER OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY AND MINISTER OF OCEAN DEVELOPMENT (DR. MURLI MANOHAR JOSHI)

(a) & (c) : No, Sir.

(b) & (d) : To cater to the needs of students desirous of pursuing vocational courses after Class VIII, Ministry of Human Resource Development has formulated a National Programme of Vocational Education & Training. Subsequently, Planning Commission also emphasized the importance of vocational education & training in a meeting with several Ministries including Ministry of Human Resource Development.

However, in view of the expected increase in the enrolment for class IX after 2010 as a result of Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA), the Ministry of Human Resource Development has already written to the State Governments for undertaking advance planning.

These efforts are supplemented by distance education imparted by satellite channels and National Institute of Open Schooling, which not only provide general education but also vocational education to the students.