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INDIAINDIASome Basic Facts
• Area:
• Population (2001):
• Literacy (2001):
3.2 million sq kms
1.03 billion (16% of world’s population).
64.8 percent
CHALLENGES IN EDUCATION
According to latest estimates, some 3.5 million elementary school children still not in school
Wide disparities in the educational status of different regions
Out of school children are from socially marginalized groups, especially girls, working children, children of very poor families, and children in difficult circumstances
Drop out rates at elementary level as high as 51 percent; rising to 62 percent at secondary level
47 percent children in Class 5 are unable to read a Class 2 text
INDIAN AGENCIES IN EDUCATION
ECCE & Gender Equality – Ministry of Women &
Child Development
Elementary Education Dept of School
Education
Adult Education & Literacy
Youth and Adolescents – Ministry of Sports & Youth Affairs
SCHOOL INITIATIVES: ECCE
Integrated Child Development Services Scheme (ICDS), covering 54 million children in the 0-6 year age group
Provides a mix of 6 services: supplementary nutrition, immunisation, health check up, referral services, pre school education and nutrition and health education
USD 2 billion allocated in Budget 2009-10
SCHOOL INITIATIVES: DPEP
Preceded by the Bihar Education Project (UNICEF), Lok Jumbish (SIDA), Shiksha Karmi Project (SIDA), UP Basic Education Project
Launched in 1994 to universalise access and retention, to improve learning achievements and to reduce social gaps
District-based, with a focus on community involvement, combined with institutional capacity improvement
At its peak, in 273 districts in 18 States Among other achievements (infrastructure, etc),
succeeded in raising awareness about the importance of education
SCHOOL INITIATIVES: SSA
Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA), national flagship programme for UEE, launched in 2001
Covers 210 million children, 1 million schools and nearly 4 million teachers
Annual expenditure on the programme approximately USD 3.5 billion; overall expenditure on elementary education USD 25 billion
180,000 new school buildings, 700,000 additional classrooms, 230,000 new toilets and 170,000 drinking water facilities provided so far
SCHOOL INITIATIVES: MDM
Launched in 1995 to provide a meal to all primary school children
World’s largest school feeding programme, covering 112 million children in 950,000 schools
Has resulted in improving retention, reducing drop out rates and improving nutritional status of children
2009-10 budget outlay USD 2 billion
SCHOOL INITIATIVES: SECONDARY EDUCATION
93 million children estimated to be in the 14-18 year age group
Only 33 million enrolled in secondary institutions
Two thirds out of school
Current spending on secondary education USD 1 billion per annum
Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan, a programme for universalising access to secondary education launched in 2008
PROGRAMMES FOR GIRLS
Special schemes targeted at girls, apart from focus on girls in general schemes Kasturba Gandhi Ballika Vidyalaya (KGBV) National Programme for the Education of Girls at the
Elementary Level (NPEGEL) Mahila Samakhya
Removal of gender (and other) disparities at the primary levels (I-V) by 2007, and elementary (I-VIII) level by 2010
Comprehensive plan for adolescents, especially girls, in the Tenth Five Year Plan
According to UNESCO’s Global Monitoring Report 2006, India achieved gender parity at elementary level in 2005
WHY A RIGHT TO EDUCATION?
Right to Education linked to a fundamental debate at the time of writing the Constitution
As beyond a certain age all persons get their right to vote they should have such education to make their proper choice for the advancement of our country
Art 45 introduced as a compromise “The State shall endeavour to provide, within a period of ten years
from the commencement of this Constitution, for free and compulsory education for all children until they complete the age of fourteen years” (emphasis added)
BASIC CONCEPTS
“Compulsory Education” defined as the obligation of the State to take all necessary steps to ensure that every child participates in, and completes Elementary Education
“Free Education” defined as freedom from liability to (i) pay any fee to the school, and (ii) incur such other prescribed expenses as may be likely to prevent the child from participating in and completing Elementary Education
RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE STATE
Responsibilities at various levels (Centre, State, local authority) spelt out
State to make available a neighbourhood school, which fulfils prescribed norms, for every child within three years
Regular monitoring and taking all necessary steps including removal of all barriers (social, economic, academic, physical, etc), so that every child completes Elementary Education