Delhi govt schools have poorest pupil-teacher ratio in country

Karam Prakash

New Delhi, February 12

Even as the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) makes tall claims of having brought a revolution in the education sector, government schools in New Delhi suffer from the worst pupil-teacher ratio (PTR) in the country.

One of the indicators of student engagement is the right student-teacher ratio. If they (teachers) work with fewer students, they can apparently work more closely.

The PTR of Delhi’s upper primary (class VI to XII) schools is 39, while the national average is 24:1.

The PTR of Delhi’s government upper primary schools has declined from 31 in 2020-21 to 39 in 2021-22. The information was given by a Union Minister during the ongoing Budget session in a written reply.

As to the primary level (classes I to V), the PTR of Delhi schools is 40; the national average stands at 28. Delhi’s primary school PTR is the second worst in the country, while Bihar has the poorest, with a PTR of 60 for primary schools.

The PTR norms, as per the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, for primary and upper primary level are 30:1 and 35:1, respectively.

Minister of State in the Ministry of Education Annapurna Devi said teachers’ recruitment, service conditions and deployment came under the purview of the respective state and union territory governments. However, central government, under the Samagra Shiksha programme, provides assistance to the state governments and UTs for additional teachers to maintain an appropriate pupil-teacher ratio for various levels of schooling.

“The Union Government has been consistently pursuing the matter of expeditious recruitment and redeployment of teachers with the states and UTs. Advisories to maintain appropriate PTR have also been issued to states and UTs from time to time,” said the minister.

RTE act norms

• The pupil-teacher ratio norms, as per the RTE Act, for primary and upper primary level are 30:1 and 35:1, respectively
• The ratio of Delhi’s upper primary (Class VI to XII) schools is 39, while the national average is 24:1
• In 2020-21, it was 31
• At 40, its primary school PTR is the second worst in the country after Bihar

Pursuing matter

The Union Government has been consistently pursuing the matter of expeditious recruitment and redeployment of teachers with the states and UTs. Advisories to maintain appropriate PTR have also been issued to states from time to time. — Annapurna Devi, MoS