Question : Sharing of Funds under Right to Education

(a) the ratio of cost sharing between Central and State Government for reimbursement of the fees of students being taught in private schools under Right to Education (RTE);
(b) the number of students were enrolled under RTE in private schools in Maharashtra during the last two years;
(c) the total amount that was required to be sanctioned to Maharashtra State by the Central Government for the last two years; and
(d) the amount has been actually disbursed to Maharashtra during the last two years?

MINISTER OF EDUCATION

(SHRI DHARMENDRA PRADHAN)

(a): Education is a subject in the Concurrent List of the Constitution and majority of the schools are under the administrative control of the respective State and Union Territory Government.
As per Section 7(1) of the RTE Act, 2009, the Central Government and the State Governments have concurrent responsibility for providing funds for carrying out the provisions of this Act. Further, Section 7(5) of this Act states that, the State Government shall, taking into consideration the sums provided by the Central Government to a State Government, be responsible to provide funds for the implementation of the provisions of the Act.
The reimbursement towards expenditure incurred for 25% admissions in private unaided schools under Section 12(1) (c) of the RTE Act is supported under the Samagra Shiksha for admission in class 1 and above subject to a maximum ceiling of 20% of the total Annual Work Plan and Budget approved by the Government of India for a State/UT under the Scheme. The States and UTs are required to notify per child cost norm to claim reimbursement of expenditure incurred by them towards implementation of the provisions of Section 12(1) (c) of The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act. The reimbursement is based on the proof of actual payment made to schools by the States.
Under Samagra Shiksha, the fund sharing pattern is in the ratio of 60:40 between Centre and State for all States and Union Territories with Legislature except for the 8 North-Eastern States viz. Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim and Tripura and 2 Himalayan States viz. Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand and UT of Jammu and Kashmir, where it is 90:10. It is 100% centrally sponsored for Union Territories without Legislature.
(b): As reported by the State of Maharashtra in its Annual Work Plan & Budget (AWP&B), the number of students enrolled under Section 12(1)(c) of the RTE Act, 2009 in private schools during 2019-20 and 2020-21 are 3,13,372 and 3,86,854 respectively.
(c) & (d): The reimbursement is made for the amount paid by the State Government to the private schools for the expenditure incurred during the previous year. Accordingly, against an amount of Rs. 8500.36 lakh and 36428.42 lakh claimed by the State in the year 2020-21 and 2019-20 respectively, an amount of Rs. 8206.01 lakh and 12000.00 lakh respectively was approved for reimbursement.
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