FOURTEENTH JOINT REVIEW MISSION 18 TH TO 28 TH JULY 2011 (Recommendations)

KEY RECOMMENDATIONS One of the severe challenges facing SSA and RTE compliances for school physical infrastructure is the limited availability of land, both for new schools and for the expansion of existing ones. In light of this extreme land constraint, creating possibilities of vertical expansion are now essential and a policy can be drafted to make this mandatory for school architectural design and structural design. This would be valid both for new schools and for additional classrooms.

Normally, older building foundation which have provisions for additional floors are not trusted by future builders due to lack of documentation. Making it mandatory might provide the requisite degree of assurance to convey the aspect of already strengthened foundations to future engineers. This data of strengthened foundations for additional floors can also be added to the planned data collection for the WSDP scheme.

OTHER RECOMMENDATIONS Facilities for school infrastructure:- The facilities for boys and girls toilets, ramps, playgrounds etc. are still to be provided to half the number of schools and needed an quickening of pace. Whole School Development Planning:- For WSDP, training workshops for the designated facilitators at all levels must include the methodology of working with the SMC to create effective and inclusive School Development Plans (SDP’s).

i. To facilitate this, adequate number of architects and engineers must be available as in-house or an empanelled people in each state with at least one architect being available in the district office to help facilitate individual school exercises and for sketching clear physical outcomes ii. The mission also recommends the exemplar SDP’s to be quickly executed and showcased in all districts of the country so that SMC’s can visit and use these as a local ready reference. iii. This SDP creation exercise should have flexibility to target the complete school environment and avoid becoming just a compilation of standard elements.

KGBV’s facilities:- Therefore, the mission recommends creating a fresh vision for a residential school exemplifies an environment which is comprehensively child friendly and is maintained as such. It must also include good teacher’s accommodation to attract and retain teachers to KGBV and a full day accessible library. For Regular School facilities:- In regular schools, besides emphasis on the classrooms, activity rooms, libraries and resource rooms for CWSN also need detailed design interventions like those presented to the JRM from Maharashtra and by NGO partners. Broad physical descriptions (with flexibility) for elements like Libraries need to be developed so that their implementation in schools can be unambiguous.

Land issues and compliance with RTE:- The mission recommends, looking actively for additional land from the community, at sharing of playgrounds of surrounding schools, or campuses of higher educational institutions, or surrounding but secure open lands/parks wherever feasible. Supervision structure:-The mission recommends to fill the gaps of supervision structure at block, district and State level at the earliest. i. The mission further recommend to sanction more posts, especially in States where basic school construction is far from satisfactory, to make RTE compliances. ii. The State should have plan for redeployment of engineers according to changing workload.

Building material and technologies:- There is a body of alternative materials promoted by various building related organizations which have been tried out for pilot projects, but their usage needs to be up-scaled to make them viable. Since the SMC’s are now going to be the vehicles of construction, it is important to empower them with methods, materials and practices that they are familiar with. Utilizing these methods in the WSDP exemplar projects might provide fresh energy to this approach.

GIS and Data collection with respect to infrastructure:- i. This includes putting all infrastructure data fields on the GIS Map which would enable creating region specific strategies for provisions of school infrastructure. ii. Decision which can be taken for civil works could include aspects like making choices for foundation types, for Groundwater recharge possibilities, design for High Rainfall areas and many others as more and more data layers are put in into the system.

Toilet facilities:- This must be addressed through innovative technologies like Force lift pumps and usage of low water technologies (Pour flush) wherever possible. Upgrading the State engineering team:- It would be important to retain and upgrade the State engineering teams to implement the repair and maintenance strategy together with a full provision of boundary walls/fencing, toilets, drinking water facilities appropriate to the student population existing in each school.

Available position of facilities ComponentCompletion rate Boys Toilet31.03% Girls Toilet58.82% Ramps47.09% DWS91.51% Playgrounds55.00% Boundary Wall/Green fencing51.45% Common Toilets54.31%

Thanks

QUARTERLY PROGRESS REPORTS ENDING JUNE 2011

CUMULATIVE PROGRESS AS ON 30 JUNE 2011 What all the cumulative progress reports should have particularly ending 30 th June  All cumulative target and allocation as on 31 st March 2011  Add fresh targets and allocation only (and not spill over) in the cumulative targets and allocations of 31 st March  Add subsequently any re-appropriation or supplementary approval by PAB  The cumulative sum of all above will be cumulative progress report at any time of the year.

PROGRESS AWP&B (FRESH WORKS ONLY) What all the AWP&B ( ) progress report should have particularly ending 30 th June  All physical components and financial allocation (for fresh works only) approved by PAB including furniture, library books, residential schools or any component relating to civil works as per revised framework of implementation.  Any re-appropriation or supplementary approval will be added subsequently  Do not repeat, do not add spill over targets or allocations.

ISSUES Some States are adding spill over targets and allocation as well in the AWP&B, which is not correct. Ensure adding targets and allocation for furniture, library books and residential schools. States are not compiling targets as per PAB approvals. Some States are showing targets of (old targets). In the progress report of AWP&B, the targets indicted by States and by TSG have been shown distinctly need re- conciliation. Similarly the same have been done in the cumulative progress report.