Additional requirements for educating children -Schools Infrastructure, Teachers etc.

Subject: Additional requirements in the next 5 years for educating children in the age group from 6 to 10 years-Schools Infrastructure, Teachers etc.

A broad analysis has been done to arrive at the level of additional infrastructure needed to be planned and created in by 2021 to take to educate the children in the age group of 6-10 years in 2016 (i.e., in age group of 0-5 years in 2011).

Annexure A contains the demographic profile of our country as per the 2011 census data. It gives the number of persons in different age groups. It also give the number of males and females for country as a whole and also separately for Urban and Rural population.

Annexure B groups the data in the age groups at 5 year interval (0 to 5, 6 to 10 etc.) and gives the figures for the years 2011.Column (a) has the age groups and column (b) contains the numbers for population. It also extrapolates the data for 2016 and assuming zero mortality rate, the number in 0-5 year group in the year 2011 are the numbers for6-10 year group for 2016 given in column (c). Similarly the figures for other age groups and ‘males’ and females worked out for rural population. Column (d) gives increase in the numbers in the different age groups, e.g., increase in the numbers in the group 6-10 in 2016 over 2011 is 7,435,005 persons.

From the above data we find that about 75 lakh children were getting added to the school going group in thelast5 years. We should have created facilities in schools for taking care of these additional numbers–an average of about15 lakh every year. Taking the figure of (say) 1000children per school we need about 7,400new schools in 5 years, i.e., about 1500 schools a year. We know that we do not find 1000 children in close clusters for such a neat calculations. Moreover two, thirds of these were in rural areas where the clusters are smaller and there are fewer number of additional children in each locations. The point being made is that we should have opened a lot more than1500 additional schools for each of thelast5 years (2011-2016).How did we do on this front?

This group of 0-5 years in 2011will be in the bracket of 10-15 years in the year 2021. Compared to the numbers in this group in 2011 we would have 10,804,449 additional children in 2021 in this group [138,861,008 (Children in 0-5 years in 2011 who would be in 10-15 years in 2021)-128,056,559 Children in 10-15 years in 2011]. We will need facilities for the educating (class 6 to 10) these additional children.

It is also to be kept in mind that besides the additional infrastructure in terms of classrooms, black boards, table, chairs etc. this will also require additional note books, books, trained teachers, sports facilities and all other systems required to run schools. Moreover, additional infrastructure is also required to create and to take care of these needs.

I trust that all these are being planned and there are Govt and Private Sector including NGOs working in this domain and the additional requirements/needs indicated above will be planned and created so that our children get proper education.