The
implementation of the Right to Education Act will lead to decongestion
of classrooms as it lays down strict teacher-student ratio norms.
To ensure this
provision is followed, the state government is planning to set up new
buildings next to schools in which the teacher to student ratio is high.
The new aided schools will be built with funds provided, in large part,
by the Centre.
A state government
official, on condition of anonymity, said, “The government is conducting
a survey to find out the number of schools in which the teacher-student
ratio is on the higher side. We will also have to study the feasibility
of the plan. In cities like Mumbai, where there is a major space
crunch, the problem will be aggravated, and hence we will have to
conduct a separate feasibility study for the city.”
The RTE Act
prescribes every school to maintain a teacher-student ratio of 1:30 in
primary schools and 1:35 in upper primary schools.
Though the average
ratio in the state is 1:45, according to department officials, these
figures could be misleading. “There are some schools which follow the
ratio strictly, but there are several others in which one classroom has
more than 70 to 80 students. This is especially true in aided schools,”
said the official.
He added, “Setting up
new infrastructure appears to be the best possible option. We are open
to other ideas as well. For all infrastructure-related projects, we have
to get an approval from the Centre as it is the one responsible for 70%
of the funds required.”
PM Raut,
vice-president of the Maharashtra School Managements’ Association, had
recently said, “To implement the RTE Act, the government first needs to
ensure that schools have appropriate infrastructure. The government
cannot just impose its recommendations under the pretext of RTE
guidelines, it needs to be practical. If it wants the 1:30 ratio to be
adhered to, it should first allow setting up of more divisions and
provide grants for extra teachers.”
The association is
planning to discuss the matter in a high-level meeting with government
officials on October 14 to discuss the various clauses of the RTE Act.
implementation of the Right to Education Act will lead to decongestion
of classrooms as it lays down strict teacher-student ratio norms.
To ensure this
provision is followed, the state government is planning to set up new
buildings next to schools in which the teacher to student ratio is high.
The new aided schools will be built with funds provided, in large part,
by the Centre.
A state government
official, on condition of anonymity, said, “The government is conducting
a survey to find out the number of schools in which the teacher-student
ratio is on the higher side. We will also have to study the feasibility
of the plan. In cities like Mumbai, where there is a major space
crunch, the problem will be aggravated, and hence we will have to
conduct a separate feasibility study for the city.”
The RTE Act
prescribes every school to maintain a teacher-student ratio of 1:30 in
primary schools and 1:35 in upper primary schools.
Though the average
ratio in the state is 1:45, according to department officials, these
figures could be misleading. “There are some schools which follow the
ratio strictly, but there are several others in which one classroom has
more than 70 to 80 students. This is especially true in aided schools,”
said the official.
He added, “Setting up
new infrastructure appears to be the best possible option. We are open
to other ideas as well. For all infrastructure-related projects, we have
to get an approval from the Centre as it is the one responsible for 70%
of the funds required.”
PM Raut,
vice-president of the Maharashtra School Managements’ Association, had
recently said, “To implement the RTE Act, the government first needs to
ensure that schools have appropriate infrastructure. The government
cannot just impose its recommendations under the pretext of RTE
guidelines, it needs to be practical. If it wants the 1:30 ratio to be
adhered to, it should first allow setting up of more divisions and
provide grants for extra teachers.”
The association is
planning to discuss the matter in a high-level meeting with government
officials on October 14 to discuss the various clauses of the RTE Act.