(a) whether the proposal for school premises/buildings were made in the report of
Education Commission first time in 1964-66;
(b) if so, the details thereof;
(c) whether it has been covered in the Programme of Action (PoA), 1992 of
National Policy on Education (NPE), 1986;
(d) if so, the details thereof;
(e) whether it has been implemented; and
(f) if so, the details thereof and if not, whether any responsibility has been fixed in
this regard?
MINISTER OF HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT
(SHRI RAMESH POKHRIYAL ‘NISHANK’)
(a)& (b): The Report of the Education Commission 1964-66 had made several
recommendations regarding school buildings which inter alia included steps to clear
the backlog of unconstructed school buildings as well as to provide additional
buildings for new enrolment; increased allocations in the Central and State budgets
for construction of school buildings and community resources mobilisation on the
basis of equalization; loans and grants-in-aid on a liberal basis to private schools for
the construction of buildings; putting into practice norms and guidelines already
available for spacing and planning of school buildings; acceptance of well-designed
and constructed kachcha structures as part of the school system; to encourage local
initiative and contribution in putting up school buildings in rural areas to accelerate
provision of school buildings and to utilise local communities or village Panchayats
and in urban areas, municipalities and corporations for construction activities, etc.
(c)&(d) In the Programme of Action (PoA), 1992 of National Policy on Education
(NPE), 1986, the recommendations inter-alia included to ensure architectural
adjustment needed at the construction stage for access of children with disability in
school buildings; to open new schools, adding rooms to the existing school buildings;
to make available additional resources under external assistance for educational reconstruction,
such as opening new schools, construction of school buildings, etc.; to
adapt low cost and locally available designs relevant to the local conditions for school
buildings; to mobilise resources for construction of school buildings including
Headmaster-cum-office room and toilet facilities, etc.
(e) & (f) Programme for construction of school buildings are executed keeping in view
the local environment as well as the requirement of the students. Improvement of
existing structures and to retrofit the same for easy accessibility of the students with
disabilities is done on priority basis. The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory
Education (RTE) Act, 2009 norms provide for an all-weather building in elementary
schools including those in rural areas. The school building should, inter-alia, consist
of at least one classroom for every teacher and an office-cum-store-cum-Head
Teacher’s room, barrier free access, separate toilets for boys and girls, safe and
adequate drinking water facility to all children and playground. Sections 8 and 9 of the
RTE Act, 2009 lays down the duties of appropriate Government and local authority to
inter-alia provide infrastructure including school building, teaching staff and learning
equipment.
The Government has launched an Integrated Scheme for School Education –
Samagra Shiksha, which focuses inter-alia on improvement in school infrastructure
and quality of education in all States and Union Territories including in rural areas, by
providing support for various interventions like upgradation of schools, strengthening
of infrastructure of existing schools etc.
Under erstwhile Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan till 2017-18 and Samagra Shiksha effective
from 2018-19, construction of 3.12 lakh school buildings, 18.88 lakh additional
classrooms, provision of 2.45 lakh drinking water facility, construction of 4.08 lakh
Boys’ toilets, 5.29 lakh girls’ toilets and 1.49 lakh toilets for Children with Special
Needs (CwSN), 2.79 lakh ramps with handrail and internal electrification of 2.28 lakh
schools have been sanctioned to States and UTs for elementary schools, out of which
States and UTs have reported construction of 2.97 lakh school buildings, 18.19 lakh
additional classrooms, provision of 2.34 lakh drinking water facility, construction of
3.83 lakh Boys’ toilets, 5.14 lakh separate girls’ toilets, 1.25 lakh CwSN toilets, 2.48
lakh ramps with handrail and internal electrification of 1.96 lakh schools, till
30.06.2019.
Under erstwhile Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA) till 2017-18 and
Samagra Shiksha effective from 2018-19, 12,837 new secondary schools, and 55,562
additional classrooms, 66,286 toilets and 12,218 drinking water facilities have been
sanctioned in secondary schools, out of which States and UTs have reported
construction of 9,278 new schools and 40,262 additional classrooms, 46,280 toilets
and provision of drinking water facility in 10,100 secondary schools, till 30.06.2019.
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