STATEMENT REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PARTS (a) TO (d) OF LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO.123 FOR 6th MARCH, 2013, ASKED BY SHRI MAHENDRA KUMAR ROY AND SHRIMATI SUPRIYA SULE ON QUALITY OF EDUCATION
(a) & (b):The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT), which uses a rigorous research methodology, conducts very detailed periodic national surveys of learning achievement of children in classes – III, V and VIII, which have revealed a slight improvement in pupil achievement learning levels, even though the overall achievement remains low.
(c) & (d):Under the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA), the State Governments and UT Administrations are supported on several interventions to improve teaching standards, including regular in-service teacher training, a 30-day induction training for newly recruited teachers, training of all untrained teachers to acquire professional qualifications, recruitment of additional teachers for better pupil-teacher ratios, academic support for teachers through block and cluster resource centres, a continuous and comprehensive evaluation system to equip the teacher to measure pupil performance and provide remedial action wherever required, and teacher and school grants for development of appropriate teaching-learning materials, etc. The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009 specifies statutory duties and responsibilities of teachers and lays down the minimum qualifications for a person to be eligible for appointment as a teacher in elementary schools, which have been notified by the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE) in its Notification dated 23rd August, 2010. For secondary education, the Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan programme similarly, provides for in-service teacher training and academic support to schools for improving teacher performance.
