Parliament Question: Single-teacher schools

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF EDUCATION DEPARTMENT OF SCHOOL EDUCATION & LITERACY RAJYA SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO-2125 ANSWERED ON 11.03.2026 Single-teacher schools 2125 Dr. Fauzia Khan:

Will the Minister of Education be pleased to state:

(a) whether Government has taken note of the continued presence of single-teacher schools serving over 33 lakh students across the country;

(b) the measures undertaken or proposed by the centre to assist States and Union Territories in deploying adequate teaching staff, particularly in districts where such schools have persisted for more than three years;

(c) the assistance provided by the Central Government to State to upgrade infrastructure, teacher training and accountability in States most affected by single-teacher schools; and

(d) the details of any audits conducted last year to verify utilization of teacher salaries and support grants in chronically understaffed schools? ANSWER MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF EDUCATION (SHRI JAYANT CHAUDHARY)

(a): As per UDISE+ (Unified District Information System for Education Plus) 2024-25, number of single teacher schools in the country are 104125 with enrolment 3376769 in these schools.

(b) & (c): Education being a subject in the Concurrent List of the Constitution, an overwhelming majority of the schools in the country comes under the administrative control of States/UTs. The recruitment, remuneration and rational deployment of teachers fall under the purview of the respective State Governments/UT Administrations. The Central Government through the Centrally Sponsored Scheme of Samagra Shiksha, provides financial assistance to the States and UTs to maintain appropriate Pupil-Teacher Ratio (PTR) for various levels of schooling, as per norms prescribed in the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009, as amended from time to time.

Strengthening of teacher training/education programmes is supported under the centrally sponsored scheme of Samagra Shiksha in alignment with the recommendations of the National Education Policy (NEP), 2020. The interventions under Samagra Shiksha are aimed at strengthening of physical infrastructure in Teacher Education Institutions (TEIs); support to State Councils of Educational Research and Trainings (SCERTs) so that they can effectively and efficiently carry out quality teacher education, research and develop state-specific curriculum framework, as a follow up to the National Curriculum Framework for School Education (NCF SE); capacity building of District Institute of Education and Training (DIET) functionaries; continuous academic support to schools through BRC/CRC etc.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 plus (UDISE+) database and proposals received from respective State/UT. The requirement of infrastructural facilities in schools is 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 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.

(d) Department of Expenditure had clarified vide their OM dated 18.8.2016 regarding laying of Annual Reports and Audit Reports, the States/UTs have been directed to submit their Audit Reports in their respective State/UT Assemblies. Accordingly, the States/UTs are laying their Annual Audited Reports in their respective Assemblies and submitting their Annual Reports to this department for laying in both the Houses of the Parliament. UTs without legislature are submitting their Annual Reports and Audit Reports for laying in both the Houses of the Parliament.

******