Parliament Question: Quality and infrastructure of Government schools

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF EDUCATION DEPARTMENT OF SCHOOL EDUCATION & LITERACY RAJYA SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO - 284 ANSWERED ON 18/03/2026 Quality and infrastructure of Government schools 284 # Dr. Sandeep Kumar Pathak:

Will the Minister of EDUCATION be pleased to state:

(a) the number of Government schools in the country where the sanctioned posts of teachers are vacant, the State-wise details thereof;

(b) the number of schools where basic facilities such as toilets, safe drinking water, science laboratories, libraries, and internet are not available, and the State-wise details thereof;

(c) the details of the dropout rate among students from rural and economically weaker sections during the last three years; and

(d) the details of the concrete steps taken by the Central Government to provide quality education to children from middle-class and poor families? ANSWER MINISTER OF EDUCATION (SHRI DHARMENDRA PRADHAN)

(a) to (d): A statement is laid on the table of the House. ******STATEMENT REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PARTS (a) TO (d) OF RAJYA SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. 284 ANSWERED ON 18/03/2026 ASKED BY HON’BLE MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT DR. SANDEEP KUMAR PATHAK REGARDING “QUALITY AND INFRASTRUCTURE OF GOVERNMENT SCHOOLS”.

(a): Education being a subject in the Concurrent List of the Constitution, an overwhelming majority of schools in the country are under the administrative control of the respective State Governments and Union Territory Administrations. Accordingly, the recruitment, service conditions and rational deployment of teachers fall within the administrative purview of the concerned States/UTs. Further, recruitment of teachers is a continuous process, and vacancies arise due to factors such as retirement, resignation and increased requirement of teachers on account of growth in student enrolment.

As per the UDISE+ 2024-25 report, the State/UT-wise details of teachers in position in Government schools across the country are placed in the Annexure-I, available at

https://www.education.gov.in/parl_ques.

The Government, on its part, periodically advises States/UTs to fill up vacant posts of teachers through transparent and merit-based recruitment processes, including through autonomous teacher recruitment boards or similar organisations. The progress regarding filling up of teacher vacancies through competitive selection examinations conducted by States/UTs, supported by technology-based teacher requirement planning and forecasting, is reviewed regularly through meetings and advisories.

The Central Government, through the Centrally Sponsored Scheme of Samagra Shiksha, provides financial assistance to States/UTs to maintain appropriate Pupil-Teacher Ratio (PTR) at various levels of schooling as per the norms prescribed under the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009, as amended from time to time.

The National Education Policy (NEP), 2020 emphasises maintenance of a pupil-teacher ratio of under 30:1 in each school and under 25:1 in areas having large numbers of socio-economically disadvantaged students. As per UDISE+ data, the overall PTR at the national level has improved from 27:1 in 2022-23, and the stage-wise PTR as per UDISE+ 2024-25 is reported as 10 at the Foundational stage, 13 at the Preparatory stage, 17 at the Middle stage and 21 at the Secondary stage.

(b): As per the UDISE+ 2024–25 report, the State/UT-wise details of schools having basic facilities such as toilets, safe drinking water, science laboratories, libraries, and internet connectivity are placed in the Annexure-II, available at https://www.education.gov.in/parl_ques.

(c): As per UDISE+, the State/UT-wise and year-wise dropout rates at Preparatory, Middle and Secondary levels for the years 2022-23 to 2024-25 are placed in the Annexure-III, available at

https://www.education.gov.in/en/parl_ques.

(d): For enhancing quality of School Education, NEP 2020 lays emphasis on experiential learning, arts-integrated and sports integrated education, story-telling based pedagogy, integration of skill education, enhancing quality of pre-service and in-service training of teachers etc.

The following major initiatives have been taken to improve the quality of school education on

equitable basis: i. National Curriculum Framework for School Education (NCF-SE) and National Curriculum Framework for Foundation Stage (NCF-FS) have been developed for children between ages 3-18 under the 5+3+3+4 curricular and pedagogical structure recommended by NEP 2020.

ii. In accordance with NEP 2020 and the Curriculum Frameworks, textbooks that emphasize play-based, multidisciplinary, and experiential learning, from foundationalyears through to secondary have been developed. In addition to textbooks, innovative academic resources such as Special Modules, supplementary learning materials, and teachers’ handbooks to support students and teachers in diverse areas of learning are continuously being developed.

iii. National Initiative for Proficiency in Reading with Understanding and Numeracy (NIPUN Bharat) has been launched under Samagra Shiksha for ensuring that every child in the country necessarily attains foundational literacy and numeracy (FLN) by the end of Grade 3, and e-content for the same has been released at DIKSHA platform.

iv. VIDYA PRAVESH-Guidelines for Three-month Play-based School Preparation Module for Grade-I Children have been released on 29th July, 2021 for all children to expose to a warm and welcoming environment in Grade-I. Jadui Pitara and e-Jadui Pitara, play based interactive learning resources have also been developed.

v. NISHTHA Integrated Teacher Training Programme 1.0, 2.0, 3.0 and 4.0 has been introduced for different stages of school education for Teachers, Head Teachers/Principals and other stakeholders in Educational Management.

vi. National Achievement Survey (NAS) 2024 has been conducted on 4th December, 2024 by the Ministry of Education to evaluate children’s progress and learning competencies as an indicator of the health education system, and to take appropriate steps for remedial actions at different levels.

vii. A 73 indicator-based matrix Performance Grading Index (PGI) has been developed to grade the States/UTs. District level Performance Grading Indices (PGI) have been prepared and a Web application for compilation of PGI-District has been developed.

viii. The Central Government assists States and UTs through the Centrally Sponsored Scheme of Samagra Shiksha in delivering quality education and improving learning outcomes through various interventions. Support is provided, as per scheme norms, for RTE entitlements, composite school grants, library grants, grants for sports and physical education, student assessments, digital interventions, skill education, strengthening of Teacher Education Institutions like SCERTs and DIETs, professional development of teachers, support for DIKSHA, academic support through BRCs/CRCs, etc. Support for remedial teaching, bridge courses, and Learning Enhancement Programmes is also

provided. *****