UP needs 1,793 new govt schools for effective implementation of RTE Act

Officials from all the 18 divisions of the state have forwarded requirement of schools to the Lucknow-based project office of Sarv Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA).

Uttar Pradesh needs 1,793 new government schools – 1.592 primary and 201 upper primary institutions – for effective implementation of the Right to Education Act in the state.

Students at a government primary school in Allahabad. (HT Photo)

Officials from all the 18 divisions of the state have forwarded requirement of schools to the Lucknow-based project office of Sarv Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA).

However, as the work of GIS mapping of existing schools is still pending in the state, the proposal for more schools is yet to be sent to the union ministry of human resource development (MHRD) for approval.

Under the SSA, MHRD provides financial support for opening and running of schools.

The RTE Act for free and compulsory education to children was implemented in the state in July 2011 and MHRD accords top priority to GIS mapping of schools for proper implementation of the Act.

Construction of any new school under the SSA will be decided only on the basis of GIS mapping which ensures proper distribution of schools across the state.

Under the Free and Compulsory Child Education Rights Act, availability of a primary school at every one kilometre, a middle school at every three kilometres and a high school at every five kilometres has been made compulsory.

The state has nearly 1.60 lakh government-run primary and upper primary schools.

The MHRD had allowed opening of new schools under the SSA in Uttar Pradesh in 2012-13 but as the state lagged behind in GIS mapping, no new government school has been opened in the last five years.

The SSA officials are taking daily feedback on the progress of GIS mapping from the basic shiksha adhikaris (BSAs) to ensure completion of work by the end of May.

The officials have already received GIS details of 90,000 schools from various districts and the National Informatics Centre has already provided information of 50,000 schools to the MHRD.

Additional project director, SSA, Rajkumari Verma confirmed the proposal for new schools would be sent to the central government as soon as the GIS mapping of existing schools in the state was over.