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BASIC FEATURES OF SARVA SHIKSHA ABHIYAN Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan
is an effort to universalize elementary education by
community-ownership of the school system. It is a response to
the demand for quality basic education all over the country. The
SSA programme is also an attempt to provide an opportunity for
improving human capabilities to all children, through provision
of community-owned quality education in a mission mode.
WHAT IS SARVA SHIKSHA ABHIYAN
- A programme with a clear time frame for universal
elementary education.
- A response to the demand for quality basic education all
over the country.
- An opportunity for promoting social justice through basic
education.
- An effort at effectively involving the Panchayati Raj
Institutions, School Management Committees, Village and Urban
Slum level Education Committees, Parents' Teachers'
Associations, Mother Teacher Associations, Tribal Autonomous
Councils and other grass root level structures in the
management of elementary schools.
- An expression of political will for universal elementary
education across the country.
- A partnership between the Central, State and the local
government.
- An opportunity for States to develop their own vision of
elementary education
AIMS OF SARVA SHIKSHA ABHIYAN
The Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan is to provide useful and relevant
elementary education for all children in the 6 to 14 age group
by 2010. There is also another goal to bridge social, regional
and gender gaps, with the active participation of the community
in the management of schools.
Useful and relevant education signifies a quest for an
education system that is not alienating and that draws on
community solidarity. Its aim is to allow children to learn
about and master their natural environment in a manner that
allows the fullest harnessing of their human potential both
spiritually and materially. This quest must also be a process of
value based learning that allows children an opportunity to work
for each other's well being rather than to permit mere selfish
pursuits.
Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan realizes the importance of Early
Childhood Care and Education and looks at the 0-14 age as a
continuum. All efforts to support pre-school learning in ICDS
centres or special pre-school centres in non ICDS areas will be
made to supplement the efforts being made by the Department of
Women and Child Development.
1.3 OBJECTIVES OF SARVA SHIKSHA ABHIYAN
- All children in school, Education Guarantee Centre,
Alternate School, ' Back-to-School' camp by 2003;
- All children complete five years of primary schooling by
2007
- All children complete eight years of elementary schooling
by 2010
- Focus on elementary education of satisfactory quality with
emphasis on education for life
- Bridge all gender and social category gaps at primary
stage by 2007 and at elementary education level by 2010
- Universal retention by 2010
WHY A FRAMEWORK FOR IMPLEMENTATION (AND NOT A
GUIDELINE)
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To allow states to formulate context specific
guidelines within the overall framework
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To encourage districts in States and UTs to
reflect local specificity
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To promote local need based planning based on
broad National Policy norms
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To make planning a realistic exercise by
adopting broad national norms.
The objectives are expressed nationally though
it is expected that various districts and States are likely to
achieve universalisation in their own respective contexts and in
their own time frame. 2010 is the outer limit for such
achievements. The emphasis is on mainstreaming out-of-school
children through diverse strategies, as far as possible, and on
providing eight years of schooling for all children in 6-14 age
group. The thrust is on bridging of gender and social gaps and a
total retention of all children in schools. Within this
framework it is expected that the education system will be made
relevant so that children and parents find the schooling system
useful and absorbing, according to their natural and social
environment.
SARVA SHIKSHA ABHIYAN AS A FRAMEWORK AND AS A PROGRAMME
Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) has two aspects – I) It provides
a wide convergent framework for implementation of Elementary
Education schemes; II) It is also a programme with budget
provision for strengthening vital areas to achieve
universalisation of elementary education. While all investments
in the elementary education sector from the State and the
Central Plans will reflect as part of the SSA framework, they
will all merge into the SSA programme within the next few years.
As a programme, it reflects the additional resource provision
for UEE |
