Parliament Question: Assessment of Status of Government Schools in Uttar Pradesh

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF EDUCATION DEPARTMENT OF SCHOOL EDUCATION AND LITERACY LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO - 5770 ANSWERED ON – 30/03/02026 Assessment of Status of Government Schools in Uttar Pradesh †5770. Mrs Ruchi Vira: Will the Minister of EDUCATION be pleased to state: (a) whether the Government has conducted any assessment of the condition of Government schools, higher secondary institutions, colleges and vocational training centers located in Najibabad, Dhampur, Chandpur and Nehtaur regions of Bijnor district of Uttar Pradesh, especially with regard to shortage of teachers, classroom infrastructure, access to digital education and dropout rates as well as the impact of these deficiencies on students hailing from farming and economically weaker families; (b) if so, the details of such surveys, inspections and remedial interventions undertaken by the Government to improve deployment of teachers, upgradation of school buildings, expansion of digital learning facilities and strengthening of the Mid-Day Meal Scheme and ensure continuity of education for rural and under-privileged students; and (c) if not, the reasons therefor? ANSWER MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF EDUCATION (SHRI JAYANT CHAUDHARY) (a) to (c): Education is in the Concurrent List of the Constitution, and most of the schools come under the administrative jurisdiction of concerned State Government. The Government of Uttar Pradesh undertakes continuous assessment of Government secondary schools and vocational trade units across all districts, including Bijnor (covering Najibabad, Dhampur, Chandpur and Nehtaur), through institutional mechanisms of periodic inspections by state, division, district level officers and reviews under Samagra Shiksha. Teacher recruitment is an ongoing process due to retirements, resignations, and the need to accommodate growing student numbers or new schools. It is the responsibility of each State/UT to conduct a comprehensive, technology-driven planning and forecasting exercise for timely recruitment. The Central Government supports the States and UTs in maintaining the Pupil- Teacher Ratio (PTR) through the Samagra Shiksha scheme by providing financial assistance. The Department regularly conducts review meetings and issues advisories urging States and UTs to fill teacher vacancies and ensure rational deployment. Under Samagra Shiksha Scheme, financial support is provided to States/UTs for creation and augmentation of infrastructure facilities to strengthen the existing school infrastructureacross the country including Bijnor district of Uttar Pradesh covering Najibabad, Dhampur, Chandpur and Nehtaur. This includes the construction of school buildings & additional classrooms, opening/strengthening of new schools upto senior secondary level, toilets (for boys & girls, and CWSN), provision of drinking water, electricity, ICT facilities, smart and digital classrooms based on the gaps determined from Unified District Information System for Education (UDISE) database and proposals received from respective States/UTs. Infrastructure needs are identified annually using data from the Unified District Information System for Education (UDISE) and accordingly, the annual plans under Samagra Shiksha are prepared by the States and UTs based on their requirements and priority and this is reflected in their Annual Work Plan and Budget (AWP&B), which is then appraised and approved by the Project Approval Board (PAB) in consultation with the States and UTs as per programmatic and financial norms of the scheme. As informed by State Government of Uttar Pradesh, construction of additional classrooms, toilets, drinking water facilities, boundary walls, provision of science labs and libraries, etc. is done through Samagra Shiksha and Project Alankaar. The interventions undertaken by Samagra Shiksha and Project Alankaar in Bijnor District for strengthening of infrastructure are as follows- Major Heads Bijnor Construction/Upgradation of New Government Secondary Schools 02 Additional Classroom (through Project Alankaar) 17 ICT Labs 32 Smart Classroom 27 Physics/Chemistry/Biology Labs. 04 Vocational Labs. established 18 The State has further informed that under Operational Kayakalp, 19 essential basic infrastructure facilities have been created to enhance school readiness and improve the overall learning environment. At present, the saturation level of these 19 facilities in Bijnor districts has reached 99%. Under PM SHRI Scheme, 19 schools in the district of Bijnor (Chandpur/Jalilpur- 2, Dhampur-1, Najibabad-2, Nehtaur-2) have been selected for comprehensive upgradation with all required facilities to serve as model institutions. In alignment with National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, the Government has launched the third phase of Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA) in June 2023 in the form of Pradhan Mantri Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (PM-USHA) for the period 2023-24 to 2025-26 with an outlay of Rs. 12926.10 crore, to cater to the needs of educationally unserved/ underserved areas. The scheme has been further extended till 31st March,2028, for completion of PM-USHA projects and for an additional 6 months (i.e.,30th September, 2026) for completion of ongoing RUSA projects. Under the scheme, States/ UTs have the flexibility to utilize funds for undertaking the various activities including infrastructure upgradation, multidisciplinary education, imparting skill development and quality initiatives, outlined in their proposals approved by the Ministry. The Ministry of Education implements ICT and Digital initiatives under Samagra Shiksha to enhance digital learning in Government schools across the country, including rural areas of Uttar Pradesh. The initiatives aim to enhance the quality of education by integrating technology into teaching and learning processes. Under the initiatives, funds are provided for setting up ICT Labs and Smart Classrooms according to the requirements of the State submittedin the Annual Work Plan & Budget (AWP&B). As informed by the State Government of Uttar Pradesh, the details of interventions approved under Digital Education are as below: S.No Year of Approval Bijnor Smart classes ICT labs Digital Library 1 2022-23 264 12 NA 2 2023-24 34 32 8 3 2024-25 68 18 9 4 2025-26 45 62 NA Total 411 124 17 Central Government assists States and UTs through hot cooked meal provided from Balvatika to class 8 under Pradhan Mantri Poshan Shakti Nirman (PM POSHAN) Yojna. As informed by the State Government of Uttar Pradesh, under the PM Poshan Scheme, in all 75 districts including Bijnor of the state hot cooked nutritious meals are provided at mid-day to approximately 1.52 crore students in about 1.41 lakh schools and monitored at the district and block levels. Financial assistance/grant is also provided to the States and UTs for various activities to reduce dropout and increase enrolment in Government schools, which include opening/strengthening of new schools up to Senior Secondary level, strengthening school infrastructure, setting up and up gradation and running of Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalayas (KGBV) upto class 12, setting up of residential schools/hostels named Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose Avasiya Vidyalayas, hostels under Pradhan Mantri Janjati Adivasi Nyaya Maha Abhiyan (PM-JANMAN) and Dharti Aaba Janjatiya Gram Utkarsh Abhiyan (DAJGUA), transport allowance, undertaking enrolment drives, seasonal hostels/residential camps, provision of vocational education and ICT facilities in schools, providing free text books and free uniform, transport/escort facility, etc. ****