Sarwa Shiksha Abhiyan in Developing Indian Economy

Dr Jyoti Sharma

Senior Academic consultant

MAHIAA  ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENT TECHNOLOGY CONSULTANCY SERVICES DELHI

Education has an immense impact on the human society. One can safely assume that a person is not in the proper sense till he is educated. It trains the human mind to think and take the right decision. In other words, man becomes a rational animal when he is educated. It is through education that knowledge and information is received and spread throughout the world.

Education is a tool that can play a vital role in improving the socio-economic condition of the nation. it empowers citizens with analytical abilities, leads to better confidence levels and fortifies one with will power and goal setting competencies. Education involves not only textbook learning but also a growth of values, skills and capacities. This helps individuals to plan for their career as well as play a useful part in building a new society with progressive values. Hence, education results in changing both individual lives as well as that of the entire community for the better.

The education sector has been of vital importance to the Indian government which has been regularly formulating provisions and schemes for promoting elementary education.

The right to education has also been enshrined as a fundamental right by the constitution of India. It states that “the state shall provide free and compulsory education to all children of the age of six to fourteen years in such a manner as the state may, by law, determine.”

To promote literacy among its citizens, the government of India has launched several schemes such as the Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya Scheme (external website that opens in anew window), mid- day meal scheme (external website that opens in anew window) and the national program for education of girls at elementary level (NPEGEL)-external website that opens in a new window. One of the most fundamental and promising of these schemes is the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (external website that opens in a new window).

NEED OF APPOINTMENT OF COMMITTEE OF EDUCATION

1.       Need for a comprehensive policy of education in spite no. of education committees after independence, satisfactory progress would not be achieved.

2.       Need for detailed study even though a good deal of expansion of education facilities took place. It was at the expanse of quality.

3.       Need to emphasize role of people in national development. To make people aware that they have a share in the national development along with the government.

4.       Need for overview of educational development. To create more integration between various parts and consider it as a whole not as fragments.

5.       Need for positive approach to the status of teacher. The teacher community had been neglected suffering many hardships requiring a positive approach to the problem.

2.2 The National Policy on Education. (1968)

The national policy of 1968 marked a significant step in the history of education in post-independence India. It aimed to promote national progress, a sense of common citizenship and culture, and to strengthen national integration. It laid stress on the need for a radical reconstruction of the education system, to improve its quality at all stages, and gave much greater attention to science and technology, the cultivation of moral values and a closer relation between education and the life of the people.

After the adoption of the 1968 policy, there has been considerable expansion in educational facilities all over the country at all levels. More than 9% of the country’s rural habitations now have schooling facilities within a radius of one kilometer. There has been sizeable augmentation of facilities at other stages also. Perhaps the most notable development has been the acceptance of a common structure of education throughout the country and the introduction of the 1+2+3 system by most states. In the school curricula, in addition to laying down a common scheme of studies for boys and girls, science and mathematics were incorporated as compulsory subjects and work experience assigned a place of importance.

A beginning was also made in restructuring of course at the undergraduate level. Centers of advanced studies were set up for post–graduate education and research. And we have been able to meet our requirements of educated manpower. While these achievements are impressive by themselves, the general formulations incorporated in the 1968 policy did not, however, get translated into a detailed strategy of implementation, accompanied by the assignment of specific responsibilities and financial and organizational support. As a result, problems of access, quality, quantity, utility and financial outlay, accumulated to implement all the provision. Besides, a variety of new challenges and social needs make it imperative for the government to formulate and implement a new education policy for the country. Padhe Bharat Badhe Bharat is a nationwide sub- programmer of Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan. Children who fail to read in early education lag behind in other subjects. The programme is designed to improve comprehensive early reading, writing and early mathematics programme for children in classes I and II. Under this programme, 762 crores (US$110 MILLION) was approved to states. The programme will not only provide print rich environment, timely distribution of books will also includes new teacher mentoring and appraisal system. More recently, the government of India has launched in 2001 Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) a flagship programme in partnership with the state government to cover the entire country and address the needs of 192 million children in 1.1 million habitations.

The SSA is an extensive scheme to universalize elementary education through district based, decentralized specific planning and implementation strategy by community ownership of the school system. The scheme subsumes all other major governmental educational interventions of the entire country. The SSA is to provide useful and relevant elementary education for children in the 6-14 age groups by 2010.

The SSA focused mainly on alternative schooling, children with special needs, community mobilization, Girls education, quality of elementary education. The SSA is based on the premise that financing of elementary education interventions gas to be sustainable. This calls for a long-term perspective on financial partnership between the central and the state governments.

“With the successful implementation of the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, a large number of students are passing out from upper primary classes creating a huge demand for secondary education,” the HRD ministry said; therefore education is grown in Indian economy rapidly.