(a) whether there is a skewed student-teacher ratio in various schools in the
country and if so, the details thereof;
(b) whether the Government intends to correct the student-teacher ratio in the
schools in the country and if so, the details thereof;
(c) if not, the reasons therefor; and
(d) the steps taken/proposed to be taken by the Government in this direction?
MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF HUMAN RESOURCE
DEVELOPMENT
(SHRI UPENDRA KUSHWAHA)
(a) to (c) : The recruitment, service conditions and deployment of teachers are
primarily in the domain of the State Governments and UT Administrations.
However, the Central Government through the centrally sponsored programmes of
Sarva Shiksa Abhiyan (SSA) at elementary level and Rashtriya Madhyamik
Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA) at secondary level, provides assistance to the State
Governments and UTs for additional teachers to maintain appropriate Pupil
Teacher Ratio as per the prescribed norms for various levels of schooling.
The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act,
2009 has been enacted for universalization of elementary education i.e. for
classes I to VIII across the country. The RTE Act, 2009 in its Schedule lays down
Pupil-Teacher Ratio (PTR) for both primary and upper primary schools. At primary
level, the PTR norm is 30:1 and at the upper primary level it is 35:1. As per the
Unified District Information System For Education (UDISE) 2015-16, the PTR at
national level for primary schools is 23:1 and upper primary schools is 17:1, which
is better than the norm laid down in the RTE Act, 2009. Similarly, at the secondary
level, the RMSA framework lays down a PTR norm of 30:1, against which the PTR
at national level is 27 as per UDISE 2015-16.
(d): The Central Government has been consistently pursuing the matter of
expeditious recruitment and redeployment of teachers and to implement norms of
the RTE Act 2009 with the States and UTs at various forums. Advisories to
implement the norms of the RTE Act have also been issued to States and UTs
from time to time.
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