Integrated Scheme on School Education

The central government has approved a new scheme by subsuming Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan and Teacher Education (TE).

The vision of the Scheme is to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education from nursery to senior secondary stage in accordance with the Sustainable Development Goal for Education. The main emphasis of the Integrated Scheme is on improving quality of school education by focusing on the two T’s – Teacher and Technology.

The objectives of the scheme include

• Provision of quality education and enhancing learning outcomes of students.
• Bridging Social and Gender Gaps in School Education.
• Ensuring equity and inclusion at all levels of school education.
• Ensuring minimum standards in schooling provisions.
• Promoting vocationalisation of education.
• Support States in implementation of Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009; and
• Strengthening and up-gradation of State Councils for Educational Research and Training (SCERTs)/State Institutes of Education and District Institutes for Education and Training (DIET) as nodal agencies for teacher training.

The integrated scheme on school education can aid in development of the education scenario of the country by

• Providing a holistic approach towards education.
• Inclusion of senior secondary levels and pre-school levels in support for School education for the first time. Thus providing an integrated approach towards education development by providing a continuum.
• Focusing on Quality of Education through emphasis on improvement of learning Outcomes
• Enhanced Capacity Building of Teachers to improve the quality of education.
• Focusing on strengthening of Teacher Education Institutions like SCERTs and DIETs to improve the quality of teacher training
• Enhanced use of digital technology in education through smart classrooms, digital boards and DTK channels
• Specific provision for Swachhta activities support ‘SwachhVidyalaya’ .
• Improve the Quality of Infrastructure in Government Schools
• Enhanced Commitment to ‘BetiBachaoBetiPadhao’- Upgradation of KGBVs from class VI -VIII to upto class XII
• Emphasis on ‘KaushalVikas’ in schools for skill development
• Support ‘Khelo India’ through provision for sports and physical equipment for all round development of children.
• Preference to Educationally Backward Blocks (EBBs), LWEs, Special Focus Districts (SFDs), Border areas and the 115 aspirational districts to bridge the gap and addressing regional differences.

The new scheme through an integrated approach and establishing a continuum provides for a holistic development of children through emphasising on Swachhata initiatives, Skill development and Sports. This can aid in overhauling the education scenario of the country by building a strong foundation. [The Hindu]