Parliament Question: Shortage of teachers

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF EDUCATION DEPARTMENT OF SCHOOL EDUCATION AND LITERACY RAJYA SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO-2124 ANSWERED ON – 11/03/2026 Shortage of teachers 2124. Shri S.R. Sivalingam: Will the Minister of Education be pleased to state: (a) whether, in the context of the Union Budget 2026–27 allocation of ₹1.12 lakh crore, Government has assessed adequacy in addressing learning gaps, teacher shortages and the digital divide; (b) whether outcome-based assessments of education spending have been undertaken across States; and (c) the steps proposed to be taken to ensure equitable access to quality education and reduction of regional and socio-economic disparities? ANSWER MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF EDUCATION (SHRI JAYANT CHAUDHARY) (a) & (b) Education is in the Concurrent List of the Constitution and expenditure on education is the shared responsibility of the Central and State Governments. To this end, concerted efforts have been made by the Government of India to increase spending in the education sector, as is evident from the consistent increase in Budget Allocation of the Ministry of Education from Rs.93,224.31 crore in F.Y. 2021-22 to Rs. 1,39,289.48 crore in 2026-27(an increase of 49.4% in 5 years). The budget outlay of the Ministry of Education includes significant allocation for the centrally sponsored scheme of Samagra Shiksha through which support is provided to State Governments and Union Territories for implementing various interventions to improve learning outcomes, teacher education and digital infrastructure. Such interventions include financial assistance for remedial learning, implementation of NIPUN Bharat Mission, setting up of ICT labs and smart classrooms, teacher training and resource support for engaging teachers to meet the Pupil teacher ratio (PTR) norms. To ensure relevance and adequacy of spending, the Annual Work Plan and Budget (AWP&B) under Samagra Shiksha are prepared by the States and UTs based on their requirements and priorities, factoring in local needs and gap assessments. These plans are thenappraised and approved by Project Approval Board (PAB) in consultation with the States and UTs as per the programmatic and financial norms of the scheme. The physical and financial progress made by the States/UTs in implementing their AWP&B is regularly monitored through the PRABANDH (Project Appraisal, Budgeting Achievements and Data Handling) System developed by the Department of School Education & Literacy (DoSEL). Regular follow-ups and review meetings are also held with the States/UTs, thereby ensuring an integrated approach for monitoring and smooth implementation of the scheme. Further, the outcomes achieved under the scheme are periodically reviewed by NITI Aayog in consultation with the Ministry under the Output Outcome Monitoring Framework (OOMF). Separately, important parameters related to schooling such as dropout rates, gross enrollments, transition rates, availability of physical and digital infrastructure etc are tracked on an annual basis through the Unified District Information System for Education Plus (UDISE+). Moreover, States and UTs are encouraged to regularly monitor and review student and teacher attendance and offtake of RTE entitlements among other indicators through Vidya Samiksha Kendra (VSK) for taking corrective action backed by data. Besides this, DoSEL undertakes large-scale assessments from time to time to measure learning outcomes in schools across the country. The latest such assessment namely the PARAKH Rashtriya Sarvekshan (earlier known as National Achievement Survey) was conducted on 4th December, 2024, to understand the baseline performance under the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 in development of competencies among students at the end of the Foundational, Preparatory and Middle Stages (assessed in Grades 3, 6 and 9, respectively) of schooling. Nationwide, over 21.15 lakh students from more than 74,000 schools, including government and private schools, across all States/UTs of India participated in the assessment. National, State and District level reports from PARAKH Rashtriya Sarvekshan 2024 containing key insights for various School management types (Government, Government aided and Private) are available at https://dashboard.parakh.ncert.gov.in/en, a dedicated dashboard designed to disseminate the findings of the assessment. The findings of PARAKH Rashtriya Sarvekshan 2024 highlight a significant improvement when compared to NAS 21 scores in foundational literacy and numeracy skills, thereby, reflecting the positive impact of the NIPUN Bharat Mission launched under NEP 2020. (c) The NEP 2020 provides for equal learning opportunities for all children including Socio- Economically Disadvantaged Groups (SEDGs) which includes Children with Special Needs (CwSN), economically weaker sections and SC/ST groups. Further, the Policy is in complete consonance with the provisions of the Rights of People with Disabilities (RPwD) Act 2016 and covers all CwSN as identified under the Act. To ensure universal access to schooling for all from pre-primary to Class XII, the Government is implementing the Samagra Shiksha Schemewhich is in alignment with the recommendations of NEP 2020, and ensures that all children have access to quality education within an equitable and inclusive classroom environment. Under the Samagra Shiksha there are various sub components, inter-alia, catering to inclusive education for children with special needs, Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalayas (KGBVs) for classes 6 to 12 addressing the needs of girl students from educationally backward blocks and aspirational districts and Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Awasiya Vidyalayas (NSCBAVs) which provides residential facilities for both girls and boys belonging to SEDGs. Further, under Samagra Shiksha, the educational needs of children from the Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs) are addressed through convergence with the Pradhan Mantri Janjati Adivasi Nyaya Maha Abhiyan (PM-JANMAN) and Dharti Aaba Janjatiya Gram Utkarsh Abhiyan (DA-JGUA) Schemes. Under the RTE Act, 2009, there is a provision of free text books and uniforms for children belonging to SEDG. Further, as per Section 12 of RTE Act, 2009, private unaided institutions and special category schools shall provide free and compulsory education to at least 25% children belonging to disadvantaged groups and weaker sections admitted to class I or pre-primary classes. The Government also provides financial assistance under the National Means cum Merit Scholarship Scheme (NMMSS) @ Rs. 12,000/- pa from classes 9 to 12 to children whose family income is below Rs. 3.5 lacs p.a. to enable them to complete their schooling. *****