(a) the number of primary schools in the country having no permanent building and facility of water and toilets, State-wise;
(b) whether the number of primary schools in the country is adequate in proportion to its population and if so, the details thereof; and
(c) if not, the action plan formulated/ proposed to be formulated by the Government in this regard?
MINISTER OF EDUCATION
(SHRI RAMESH POKHRIYAL ''NISHANK'')
(a) State/UT-wise number of Government primary schools/ Government schools with primary sections in the country without drinking water facility, toilets and buildings is at Annexure.
(b) and (c) The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009, mandates the appropriate Government to provide free and compulsory elementary education to every child of the age 6 to 14 years in a neighbourhood school. In pursuance of Section 6 of the Act, the Central RTE Rules has notified the area or limits of neighbourhood as one kilometre, within which a primary school has to be established. The States have notified area or limits of their neighbourhood norms in their state RTE Rules, factoring in their State specific condition, for opening of schools.
As reported by States/UTs in their respective Annual Work Plan and Budget, 2020-21, 97.49% of habitations in the country are covered by primary schools. The habitations that remain uncovered are mostly small or sparsely populated in difficult areas where opening of school is not feasible.
The Department of School Education and Literacy has launched an Integrated Centrally Sponsored Scheme for School Education – Samagra Shiksha w.e.f. 2018-19, which subsumes the three erstwhile Schemes of Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA), Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA) and Teacher Education (TE). Under the erstwhile scheme of SSA and Samagra Shiksha, 2.04 lakh primary schools have been approved for ensuring universal availability of schooling facilities. For the remaining habitations, there is a provision of giving transport and escort facility, and opening of residential schools and hostels under the Samagra Shiksha scheme.
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