**Executive Summary**
The document addresses Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 8 regarding schools infrastructure in Rajasthan, answered on December 1, 2025. It outlines the Government's initiatives, under centrally sponsored schemes, to improve infrastructure and promote quality education in Rajasthan, particularly in Jalore and Sirohi districts. It also details the efforts to harmonize standards across school education boards through PARAKH, NCERT.
**Key Points / Main Content**
* **Infrastructure Development Initiatives:**
* The Government supports States and UTs through centrally sponsored schemes like Samagra Shiksha, STARS, and PM SHRI to strengthen existing schools and create new infrastructure.
* Infrastructure includes additional classrooms, toilets (for boys, girls, and CWSN), drinking water, electricity, boundary walls, libraries, ICT, and digital classrooms.
* Infrastructure requirements are determined based on UDISE data and proposals from the respective State/UT and are part of Annual Work Plan and Budget (AWP&B).
* Project Approval Board (PAB) appraises and approves these plans based on programmatic and financial norms.
* **Rajasthan Infrastructure Progress (2018-19 to 2025-26):**
* A table lists the number of approved and completed infrastructure projects under Samagra Shiksha, including additional classrooms, building less schools, toilets, major repair, boundary wall, drinking water facilities, library room, computer room, art craft room, electrification, and science/biology/chemistry/physics labs.
* **Examination System Equivalence:**
* The Ministry of Education, through PARAKH in NCERT, is studying "Equivalence of Boards" to harmonize standards in administration, curriculum, assessment, infrastructure, and inclusiveness.
* Key findings and policy recommendations from the exercise are available at a provided link.
* PARAKH, NCERT provides technical, financial, and capacity building support to States/UTs to implement recommendations for achieving equivalence.
* The support includes training workshops, preparation of guidelines, blueprints, standardised templates, funding for Holistic Progress Cards (HPC), digitisation of boards and development of professional cadre of paper setters.
* PARAKH, NCERT, is assigned the responsibility to grant equivalence for Class 10 and 12 certificates of all recognised Boards.
**Impact Analysis**
**States & UTs**
* **Impact:** Provided support through centrally sponsored schemes for school infrastructure and examination system equivalence.
* **Action Required:** Utilize the resources and support from centrally sponsored schemes to improve infrastructure, follow guidelines provided by PARAKH, NCERT for achieving equivalence among school education boards.
**Students**
* **Impact:** Improved infrastructure facilities and standardized examination systems, potentially leading to better quality education and educational future.
* **Action Required:** Utilize the improved infrastructure and engage with the harmonized examination system.
**School Education Boards**
* **Impact:** Need to align with the standards and guidelines for equivalence established by PARAKH, NCERT.
* **Action Required:** Work with PARAKH, NCERT to implement the recommendations for achieving equivalence, particularly in the domain of assessment.
**PARAKH, NCERT**
* **Impact:** Assigned the responsibility to harmonize standards across school education boards and grant equivalence for Class 10 and 12 certificates.
* **Action Required:** Continue to provide technical, financial, and capacity building support to States/UTs and implement the "Equivalence of Boards" framework.
Key Entities Referenced
Samagra Shiksha: A centrally sponsored scheme by the Ministry of Education to support states and UTs for strengthening government schools and infrastructure development.
Ministry of Education: The central ministry responsible for addressing infrastructure and quality of education in schools.
Rajasthan: The state in India that is the specific subject of the question regarding schools infrastructure.
PARAKH, NCERT: The National Assessment Centre in NCERT, responsible for studying and harmonising school boards standards and granting equivalence for Class 10 and 12 certificates.
Unified District Information System for Education (UDISE): Database used to determine the infrastructure gaps in schools.
GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF EDUCATION
DEPARTMENT OF SCHOOL EDUCATION AND LITERACY
LOK SABHA
UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 8
ANSWERED ON – 01/12/2025
SCHOOLS INFRASTRUCTURE IN RAJASTHAN
†8. Shri Lumbaram Choudhary:
Will the Minister of EDUCATION be pleased to state:
(a) the details of the concrete steps taken by the Government to address the problem of
infrastructure like computer labs, science labs, libraries, toilets for girl students, drinking
water and shortage of teachers in Rajasthan especially Jalore and Sirohi districts; and
(b) the strategy of the Government to make the examination system more transparent and
reliable so that students may get quality education and secure their educational future?
ANSWER
MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF EDUCATION
(SHRI JAYANT CHAUDHARY)
(a): Education is in the concurrent list of the Constitution and most of the schools are
under administrative jurisdiction of concerned States & UTs. Under the Centrally Sponsored
schemes like Samagra Shiksha, STARS and PM SHRI, States and UTs are supported for
strengthening of existing government schools, and for creation and augmentation of
infrastructure facilities like Additional Classrooms, Toilets for Boys/Girls/CWSN, Drinking
Water, Electricity, Boundary Walls, Library, ICT and Digital Classrooms, based on the gaps
determined from Unified District Information System for Education (UDISE) database and
proposals received from respective State/UT. The requirement of infrastructural facilities in
schools are worked out every year by the respective State/Union Territory on incremental
basis depending on their need and priority and reflected in their Annual Work Plan and
Budget (AWP&B). These plans are then appraised and approved/estimated by Project
Approval Board (PAB) in consultation with the States and Union Territories as per the
programmatic and financial norms of the scheme, physical and financial progress of works
sanctioned earlier and availability of budgetary resources.The details of infrastructure progress under Samagra Shiksha for the State of Rajasthan
including the districts of Jalore and Sirohi, for the years 2018-19 to 2025-26 is as under:
S.No Activity Approved Completed
1 Additional Classrooms 5239 4715
2 Building Less Schools 180 124
3 Boys Toilet 747 441
4 Girls Toilets 724 616
5 Major Repair 806 793
6 Boundary Wall 328 328
7 Availability of Drinking Water Facilities 971 771
8 Library Room 2250 1783
9 Computer Room 1958 1574
10 Art Craft Room 1627 1587
11 Electrification 330 330
12 Science Lab 2868 2340
13 Biology Lab 816 100
14 Chemistry Lab 718 103
15 Physics Lab 722 100
Total 20284 15705
Source: Prabandh Portal
(b): Examinations fall under the purview of School education boards, majority of which
come under the jurisdiction of respective States/UTs . On its part, the Ministry of Education
through the National Assessment Centre - PARAKH in NCERT, has undertaken an extensive
study into ‘Equivalence of Boards’, with an aim to harmonise standards in five key domains
of education viz; Administration, Curriculum, Assessment, Infrastructure, and Inclusiveness,
across all recognized school boards in India. Key findings and policy recommendations from
the exercise, can be accessed at
https://ncert.nic.in/parakh/pdf/Equivalence_of_Boards_Report.pdf.
In order to implement the recommendations for achieving equivalence, especially in the
domain of assessment, the Ministry of Education, through PARAKH,NCERT has been
providing technical, financial and capacity building support to States/UTs. Such support is
extended in the form of training workshops for paper setters and examiners on competency-
based assessment, preparation of guidelines, blueprints and standardised templates for
preparing question papers and question banks, and funding for implementing Holistic
Progress Cards (HPC), digitisation of boards and development of professional cadre of paper
setters among other interventions.
Further, to expedite equivalence among school education boards, the Ministry of Education
through Gazette Notification No. 1-22/2024-PMP.6 issued in Sep 2025, has assigned the
responsibility of granting equivalence for Class 10 and 12 certificates of all recognised Boards
to PARAKH, NCERT.
****