FOCUS ON RIGHT TO EDUCATION
MOMENTUM TO UNIVERSALISATION
OF ELEMENTARY EDUCATION
MAJOR STEPS TO EXPAND AND UPGRADE
TECHNICAL EDUCATION
Education for All : from
Dream to Reality
The year 2002 closed with the nation
committing itself to provide education to every child as a matter
of his / her right. The President gave assent to the Constitution
Amendment Bill on 12th December [This is now the Constitution
(86th) Amendment Act]. Before that, the Lok Sabha passed the bill
unanimously; the Rajya Sabha had passed it in the budget session.
Now the government is busy framing a law in consultation with
States, which will give force to the fundamental right to education.
On the ground, the flagship programme,
the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, inched towards its first goal, that
is, enrolling all children in schools or employment guarantee
scheme centres or bridge courses, by end 2003. The stress this
year has been on proper monitoring, proper communication between
the Centre and the States, and proper utilisation of funds. After
reaching the first goal, the already-achieved thrust would give
momentum to the programme to ensure that all children enrolled
now would have completed their primary education by 2007. India,
thus, would achieve the goal of 'education for all' in 2010, which
is to be achieved globally by 2015.
Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan works on mission
mode, with targets to be achieved in different stages of implementation.
The programme has enlisted the support of Panchayati Raj bodies
and local organisations in implementation as well as monitoring.
Special care is being taken to bridge gender and social gaps that
have so far remained in the area of literacy.
In the current financial year, the
Centre has, upto December 2002, released over Rs. 3000 crore under
Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan both for improving infrastructure and for
upgrading human resources.
Mid-Day Meal Scheme: Breaking
Poverty-Illiteracy Link
The Mid-Day Meal scheme has been
comprehensively strengthened this year. About 28 lakh metric tonnes
of foodgrains have been allocated to cover more than 11 crore
children studying in Government, local body and government aided
schools. The programme has also been expanded to cover children
of Education Guarantee Scheme (EGS) centres. The guidelines of
the scheme have also been modified so as to enable reputed NGOs
to participate in the implementation of the programme.
Massive Expansion of Technical
Education: Technologically Empowering the Nation
There has been very large expansion
in the setting up of technical institutes with the participation
of Trusts/Societies in the last few years. In the year 2002-2003
the total number of AICTE approved engineering colleges has gone
up to 1195 with a total intake capacity of 3,56,268. There has
been a major rise in the intake in IT related courses.
The intake in the IITs has been accelerated
so that the benefit of high quality technical education is available
to larger sections of students. So as to reduce harassment of
students on account of entrance examinations of different institutions,
CBSE conducted a common entrance examination for engineering,
architecture and pharmacy (AIEEE)for the first time for 7116 seats
in 102 institutions. Joint Entrance Examination for admissions
to IITs has been reviewed to bring it in harmony with the school
education system and to curb the menace of coaching. A common
examination for admission to MBA, PGDM and MCA is also being planned.
Reforms in Higher and Technical
Education Sectors: Focus on Quality
A policy framework for promotion
of post-graduate education and research in engineering and technology
has been laid down to give special thrust to post-graduate education
and thrust in engineering and technology.
To ensure quality of higher education,
Accreditation with National Assessment and Accreditation Council
(NAAC) has been made obligatory for all universities and colleges.
A National Board of Accreditation has also been set up in the
AICTE. Based on the quality of the courses and infrastructure
available, the Board issues certificates of 'A' Grade 'B' Grade
and 'C' Grade.
Performance based funding pattern
has been introduced in IITs to bring focus on outcomes and to
steer development of the IIT system in accordance with national
priorities.
Curriculum upgradation in the field
of higher education has been undertaken on a priority basis. The
UGC has announced 45 new courses so that newly emerging areas
can be covered in the tertiary system.
Universities have been inter-linked
through ‘infonet’ network for sharing of research database. Similarly,
a programme – Indian National Digital Library in Science and Technology:
INDEST) has been started for making available internationally
reputed e-journals to technical institutions. The lectures being
imparted in IITs are being filmed and distributed over internet
and television media so as to make available quality course material
to those studying in other institutions, under the National Programme
on Technology Enhanced Learning (NP-TEL).
A Rs. 1550 crore programme named
Technical Education Quality Improvement Programme (TEQIP) is being
launched from the current year with soft-loan from the World Bank.
it will help greatly improve infrastructure in technical institutions,
initially in selected technical colleges in the states of Haryana,
Himachal Pradesh, Kerala, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar
Pradesh.
Regional Engineering Colleges (RECs)
are being converted into National Institutes of Technology (NITs)
by restructuring their management to make it truly professional.
Simultaneously, they are being granted Deemed-to-be-University
status. Consequently, these Institutes now have full autonomy
in the academic matter in addition to complete administrative
freedom to decide their own affairs. Out of 17 RECs, 14 have already
been converted into NITs.
On Demand Examination: ‘Take
Exams at Your Will’
The National Institute of Open Schooling
has initiated an On Demand Examination System (ODES). ODES envisages
giving freedom to learners in the subjects of their choice whenever
they want to appear for the exams. ODES has been started at the
open basic terminal stage equivalent to the grade VIII and steps
are under way to extend it to the secondary stage.
Other Initiatives and Achievements
Other noteworthy activities that
the government started and undertook this year in the field of
education were towards expanding adult literacy, review and re-introduction
of school text books as per the national curriculum framework*
, and spreading education through modern mass media. Some major
programme activities were as follows:
Adult Literacy
Ninety eight percent of the total
districts in the country (587 districts out of 599) have now been
covered under adult literacy campaigns. The number of Jan Shikshan
Sansthans, units to provide vocational skills to neo-literates
and function as District Resource Centres, now stands at 108.
Thrust on Education
for Minorities
In order to give added thrust, focus
and visibility to various programmes for educationally backward
minorities, a unified programme, Area Intensive Madarsa Modernisation
Programme (AIMMP) has been launched. Financial allocation for
this programme has also been raised from Rs.115 crore during the
Ninth Plan to Rs.160 crore in the 10th Plan. Under this scheme,
now infrastructure support , salaries for teachers in the modern
and oriental subjects, and for teacher training programmes are
being provided under a single umbrella.
Continuing its march towards achieving
higher levels of education amongst minorities, the programme for
‘IT education in minority institutions’ started to train minority
children in the technical skills. A drive has been launched to
start computer application diploma in Urdu language.
Urdu Translation
of Works of Indian Authors
As part of the National Council for
Promotion of Urdu Language (NCPUL) effort to translate works of
major Indian authors into Urdu, the translation of the complete
works of Prem Chand was initiated this year. A substantial portion
of this translation has already been completed and these books
are out in the market.
Expansion of ‘Gyan
Vani’
The IGNOU has recently set up its
7th FM radio station in Bhopal. Forty stations under ‘Gyan Vani’
are proposed to be set up.
Computer Literacy
and Studies in Schools (CLASS)
A revised Computer Literacy and Studies
in Schools (CLASS) Scheme introduced in 2001, was operationalised
this year. This programme intends to create awareness among school
students about computer and its usage in teaching-learning process.
Higher Scales For Primary School
Teachers
The government approved enhanced
pay scales for 25,000 primary teachers belonging to Union Terriroy
cadre and working in Kendriya Vidyalayas.
