Question : WORKING OF PREPARATORY SCHOOLS

(a) whether pre-nursery schools/preparatory schools/play schools are mushrooming day by day in Delhi as well as in other parts of the country;

(b) if so,whether children of tender age are put in these privately run schools;

(c) whether these schools are charging exhorbitant fee from the parents even though the schools do not have adequate infrastructure;

(d) whether any directions have been issued by High Courts/Supreme Court in the matter;

(e) whether the Government has constituted a high level committee to deal with the matter; and

(f) if so, the recommendations submitted by the Committee, if any, together with its status of implementation?

THE MINISTER OF HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT (SHRI ARJUN SINGH):

(a) to (c) Government of India has no regulatory framework for private pre-nursery schools. The implementation of preschool facilities is carried out at the level of the State Governments/Union Territories.The Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) Scheme of the Government of India includes the component of pre-school education for children in the 3-6 years age group. Anganwadi centres under the scheme are opened at the norm of 1,000 population in a rural/urban areas, 7000 population in tribal areas and in every village or hamlet having a population of 300 or more in sparsely populated hilly/desert areas. No fees is charged from children registered with the Anganwadi centres.

(d) The Hon`ble Supreme Court vide its order dated 29.4.2004, inter-alia, directed the Government of India to increase the number of Anganwadi centres, so as to cover 14 lakh habitations.

(e) and (f) An enhanced budget provision of Rs. 3685.30 crores has been made for the year 2005-06 for the ICDS scheme, in view of the expansion of the scheme.

An Inter-Ministerial Task Force has also been setup to review the existing population norms for sanction of an ICDS Project/An ganwadi Centres and suggest revised norms.