Bihar to seek WB loan

The state government has sent a proposal to World Bank for approval of a project for training of school teachers under which the lender could provide a loan for 70 per cent project cost, while 30 per cent will be borne by the state, he said at an international conference on use of the Information Communication and Technology and Open Distance Learning on teacher education.

Kumar said there was shortage of trained teachers in Bihar in comparison to the need of qualified teachers to educate children under Right to Education Act(RTE) by attaining the student and teachers ratio to 30:1.

He said the state government has signed an agreement with Indira Gandhi National Open University in 2006 for training 40,000 teachers, but no headway could be made.

It was not possible for an institution to provide training to all teachers or provide the students:teachers ratio under the RTE and institutions like ICT and ODL could play a major role in training the teachers to enhance their capacities.

Kumar lamented that despite schemes like uniform, mid-day meal and scholarships, the attendence in schools was not more than 50 or 60 per cent at present.