25 per cent teachers absent in schools in 20 states : Survey

New Delhi, Dec 18 (UNI) About 25 per cent of the teachers who were supposed to teach the students were found absent in 3,700 primary schools in 20 states during a World Bank-Harvard University survey, the Rajya Sabha was informed today.

Answering Mr Shatrughan Sinha, Minister of State for Human Resource Development M A A Fatmi said in his written reply the nationwide survey had found that only 45 per cent of the teachers were actively engaged in teaching at the time of the visit during 2004.

Asked if the survey had pointed out that 50 per cent of the teachers in the country were not fit to impart education, the Minister however evaded a direct answer but said under Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA), emphasis had been given on role of village education committees and local bodies in monitoring and supervision of schools including attendance of teachers. The SSA intended to provide quality elementary education to all children in the age group of six to 14 years in a timebound manner.

He said the government had allocated Rs 11,000 crore under SSA including planning capacity building and monitoring had been strengthened to better programme implementation. He also said the International Development Association, Department for International Development of United Kingdom and European Commission had provided assistance to SSA from 2004 to 06 on reimbursement basis upto Rs 4,700 crore.

The Minister said Computer Aided Learning was also a component of SSA and the schools were provided with computers with appropriate training to teachers. The public-private partnership had evolved around these requirements of components.

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