SHILLONG, March 13 - Meghalaya Education Minister Lakhmen Rymbui today informed the House that the Government was trying to rationalise the teacher-pupil ratio in the Sarva Siksha Abhiyan (SSA) schools across the State.
Replying to a query raised by Opposition Congress member Dikkanchi D Shira during the Question Hour in the Assembly today, the Education Minister said that at present several SSA schools are functioning with less than 20 students.
Rymbui said that in some cases, the teacher-student ratio is 3:4 and in other cases, it is 4:3. He informed the House that due to such cases, the department was planning to rationalise the student-teacher ratio.
The teacher-student ratio as per SSA guidelines should be 1:30 and schools at the lower primary level should be located one kilometre from the village. Upper primary schools should be located three kilometres from the village, the minister added.
As part of the rationalising process, Rymbui said the department would also conduct GSI mapping to see if the present location of the schools violates the SSA guidelines.
The minister said a preliminary planning framework has been worked out, and that the department is evaluating if some schools need to be merged or closed. He, however, added that the process would not disturb the students.
Replying to a separate question related to salaries of SSA teachers, the Education Minister said eight months of salaries had been pending for 2016-17 and four months of salaries are pending in the current fiscal.
