As many as 12 states did not receive any funds from the Union government for setting up computer rooms in schools under Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) even as half (49.5%) of the total 10.17 lakh government schools in the country do not have computer facility, the central government told the Lok Sabha.
According to the data shared by the education ministry with the Lok Sabha on Monday, 18 states and Union Territories (UTs) were not allocated any funds for installing ramps and handrails in schools under SSA even as 14.9% government schools lack these facilities, the Unified District Information System for Education Plus (UDISE+) report released in January said.
In response to Congress MP Balya Mama Suresh Gopinath Mhatre and Janata Dal (United) MP Lovely Anand, Minister of State (MoS) education Jayant Choudhary shared the figures on funds allocated for basic infrastructure in government schools under SSA 2024-25.
SSA is a shared scheme between the Centre and states supporting public schools with a funding ratio of 60:40.
The central government allocates funds for different components including improving basic infrastructure under the scheme which aims to ensure that all children have access to quality education in an equitable and inclusive classroom environment irrespective of region and category.
The central government releases funds for various components of SSA to states and UTs based on the proposal submitted by them in the project management tool — Annual Work Plan and Budget (AWP&B).
Also Read: Only 31% SSA funds allocated for sports utilised; 9 states yet to spend a penny
The states that did not receive funding for establishing computer rooms in their schools are Assam, Bihar, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Mizoram, Odisha, Punjab, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal. The Union government has allocated ₹15,888.13 lakh to states for setting up of computer rooms under SSA in 2024-25.
The states and UTs that did not receive funding for installing ramps and handrails are Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Bihar, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Manipur, Odisha, Punjab, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttarakhand and West Bengal. The union government has allocated ₹254.79 lakh to states and UTs for installing ramps and handrails in schools.
According to the education ministry data, four states — Andhra Pradesh, Haryana, Karnataka, and Mizoram – did not receive funding for establishing boys’ and girls’ toilets.
The UDISE+ report data shows that 90% of government schools have functional boys’ toilets and 93.2% have functional girls’ toilets.
A total of 11 states did not receive any funding under SSA for developing Children with Special Needs (CWSN). These states include Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Manipur, Mizoram, Rajasthan, and West Bengal. Just 30.6% of Indian government schools have CWSN-friendly toilets, UDISE plus report 2023-24 stated.
In response to another question by Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) MP Eswarasamy K and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Vishnu Dayal Ram, Chaudhary informed that barring Lakshadweep, Puducherry and Goa, all other states and UTs were allocated ₹62,581.6 lakh for Information and Communication Technology (ICT) labs component of Samagra Shiksha but only ₹3,611.6 lakh was utilised by just four states — Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Manipur. The remaining did not utilise the allocated money.