Over a lakh children in Delhi still out of school

New Delhi: 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 on Friday since its implementation.

The RTE report card which analyzed 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 enrolled 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.
IANS