Thaindian News

New Delhi, April 1 (IANS) More than one lakh children in the national capital are still out of school, a report by the human resource development ministry said as the Right to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act completed a year Friday since its implementation.

The RTE report card which analysed the primary education scenario in the country was released especially for the occasion.

According to the report, 1,24,022 children in the age group of six to 14 were out of school in Delhi, as per a survey in 2009. Across the country, the out-of-school children figure stands at 81,50,619.

“It’s unfortunate that 81,50,619 children in the age group of six to 14 are still out of school. We have to bring all those children to school,” Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal said while releasing the report.

On a positive note however, Delhi has scored quite well in other parameters.

For instance, as compared to national figure of pupil-teacher ratio of 32, in Delhi the ratio is 28. Then, at the national level the percentage of teachers without professional qualification is 21, but in Delhi it stands at one.

Water drinking facility is present in 100 percent schools in Delhi. 79 percent schools here have girls toilets, 71 percent schools have ramps for disadvantaged students, 75 percent schools have playground and 98 percent have boundary walls.

Delhi is one of the 11 states which have constituted a state commission to monitor implementation of the RTE Act. Notification of the state rules however is still “in process”, the report said.

A total of 16,84,425 students have been enroled in the primary level in Delhi and 9,82,164 in the upper primary level. Delhi has 3,034 government and aided schools and has 57,777 teachers in these schools.