Government to set up Project Management Unit for SEQI roll-out

A Project Management Unit is being set up for the roll out of School Education Quality Index (SEQI) which aims at institutionalising focus on improving education outcomes at the state and union territories level, Parliament was told on Monday.

Minister of State for Human Resource Development Upendra Kushwaha, in a written reply to a Lok Sabha question, said that the SEQI was being jointly worked out by the ministry and the NITI Aayog.

"The details of the index are still under preparation. The data for the index will be uploaded by states and UTs. To monitor the SEQI roll-out and to support the states and UTs, a Project Management Unit (PMU) will be set-up at the national level," he said.

The Niti Aayog while organising the first regional workshop on SEQI in the national capital in November, had said that the objective of the Index was to sensitise and support states and UTs in improving learning outcomes among school children across India.

Kushwaha also said that there was a need to give priority to the expansion and growth of education system in the country.

He said under the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) , till June 30 2016 , 3.59 lakh new elementary schools have been opened, 2.90 lakh school buildings constructed and 17.48 lakh additional classrooms have been completed. Besides construction of 9.61 lakh school toilets, 15.74 lakh teachers have been recruited.

Since the inception of Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA) in 2009, 12394 new secondary schools have been approved and funds have been provided for strengthening of 37,382 existing secondary schools. 120284 teachers including head masters are approved till date, said the minister.

--IANS

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