New Delhi: Several steps have been taken to improve the standard of elementary education in the country. These include, improvement of infrastructural facilities and sanction of new teacher posts in the Government schools, free textbooks to all the children in Government and Government aided schools, provision for in – service training up to 20 days every year to the teachers of the Government and aided schools, regular academic support to the teachers through Block Resource Centres and Cluster Resource Centres, school grant to all the Government and aided schools and teacher grant for relevant teaching aids to the teachers of these schools, libraries in the Government schools and provision for financial support for context specific quality enhancement interventions.

The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009 further, provides for laying down of minimum norms and standards for recognition of private schools and the development of curricula and evaluation procedure by academic authorities. The National Council of Teacher Education (NCTE) has laid down minimum eligibility qualifications for teacher recruitment in elementary schools including passing a Teacher Eligibility Test (TET).

The Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA) scheme for improving secondary education provides for inter alia schools infrastructure, additional class rooms, school laboratories, school libraries, and appointment of additional teachers for better pupil teacher ratio, subject teaching of science, Maths and English subjects, in – service training of teachers, ICT enabled education, curriculum reforms etc.

This information was given by Shri Dr. D. Purandeswari, Minister of State for Human Resource in written reply to a question in Rajya Sabha today.

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