Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA)

Nodal Ministry: Ministry of Human Resource Development

Year of launch: Operational since 2000-2001

Budget: An outlay of Rs 25,555.00 crore has been provided for SSA including Rs 2519.36 crore

earmarked for North Eastern Region by the Union Budget 2012-13

Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) is Government of India’s flagship programme for achievement of Universalization of Elementary Education (UEE) in a time bound manner, as mandated by 86th amendment to the Constitution of India making free and compulsory Education to the Children of 6-14 years age group, a Fundamental Right.

SSA is being implemented in partnership with State Governments to cover the entire country and address the needs of 192 million children in 1.1 million habitations.

The programme seeks to provide access, equity, retention and quality in the area of elementary education.

Two additional components focusing on Girl Children in educationally backward blocks to promote gender parity are:

1. National Programme for Education of Girls at Elementary Education level
2. Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya

Objectives

• The Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan aims to bridge social, regional and gender gaps, with the active participation of the community in the management of schools.
• All efforts to support pre-school learning in ICDS centres or special pre-school centres in non ICDS areas are made to supplement the efforts of the Ministry of Women and Child Development.
• The SSA programme is an endeavour to provide an opportunity for improving human capabilities of all children, through the provision of community-owned quality education in a mission mode.

Goals Of SSA When It Was Launched

• All children in school, Education Guarantee Centre, Alternate School or ‘Back-to-School’ camp by 2003
• All children complete five years of primary schooling by 2007
• 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 the primary stage by 2007 and at the elementary education level by 2010.

SSA-RTE

With the passage of the RTE Act, changes have been incorporated into the SSA approach, strategies and norms.

The changes encompass the vision and approach to elementary education, guided by the following principles:

• Holistic view of education, as interpreted in the National Curriculum Framework 2005,with implications for a systemic revamp of the entire content and process of education with significant implications for curriculum, teacher education, educational planning and management.
• Equity, to mean not only equal opportunity, but also creation of conditions in which the disadvantaged sections of the society — children of SC, ST, Muslim minority, landless agricultural workers and children with special needs, etc — can avail of the opportunity.
• Access, not to be confined to ensuring that a school becomes accessible to all children within specified distance but implies an understanding of the educational needs and predicament of the traditionally excluded categories — the SC, ST and others sections of the most disadvantaged groups, the Muslim minority, girls in general, and children with special needs.
• Gender concern, implying not only an effort to enable girls to keep pace with boys but to view education in the perspective spelt out in the National Policy on Education 1986 /92; i.e. a decisive intervention to bring about a basic change in the status of women.
• Centrality of teacher, to motivate them to innovate and create a culture in the classroom, and beyond the classroom, that might produce an inclusive environment for children, especially for girls from oppressed and marginalised backgrounds.
• Moral compulsion is imposed through the RTE Act on parents, teachers, educational administrators and other stakeholders, rather than shifting emphasis on punitive processes.

Salient Features

• SSA has a special focus on girl’s education and children with special needs.
• The programme seeks to open new schools in those habitations which do not have schooling facilities
• It seeks to strengthen existing school infrastructure through provision of additional class rooms, toilets, drinking water, maintenance grant and school improvement grants.
• The programme provides quality elementary education including life skills
• It also provides computer education to bridge the digital divide
• Existing schools with inadequate teacher strength is being provided with additional teachers, while the capacity of existing teachers is being strengthened by extensive training, grants for developing teaching-learning materials and strengthening of the academic support structure at a cluster, block and district level.

Role Of Private Sector In SSA

Though the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan is being administered through government and government aided schools, some private unaided schools are also actively involved in contributing towards universal elementary education. Recently, the government entered into an agreement with the World Bank for assistance to the tune of US $ 600 million to fund the second phase of the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan.