CCEA approves new Integrated Scheme for School Education

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) has approved new Integrated Scheme on School Education for period 2018 to 2020 to be formulated by Department of School Education and Literacy. The new scheme will subsume existing schemes related to education such as Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA), Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA) and Teacher Education (TE).

Key Facts

The scheme comes in backdrop of Government’s vision of Sabko Shiksha, Achhi Shiksha and aims to support the States in universalizing access to school education from classes pre-nursery to XII across the country.  It will have estimated allocation of Rs 75,000 crore over the said period is 20% increase over current allocations

Features of Scheme

The scheme aims is to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education from nursery to senior secondary stage in accordance with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for Education. The main emphasis is to improve quality of school education by focussing on the two T’s – Teacher and Technology.

Objectives of the Scheme

• Provide quality education and enhance learning outcomes of students.
• Bridge social and gender gaps in School Education.
• Ensure equity and inclusion at all levels of school education.
• Ensure minimum standards in schooling provisions.
• Promote vocationalization of education.
• Support States in implementing Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009.
• Strengthen and up-grade State Councils for Educational Research and Training (SCERTs) and State Institutes of Education and District Institutes for Education and Training (DIET) as nodal agencies for teacher training.

Significance of Scheme

The Scheme gives flexibility to States/UTs to plan and prioritize their interventions within scheme norms and overall resource envelope available to them. It will help improve transition rates across various levels of school education and aid in promoting universal access to children to complete school education.
The Scheme will equip children with varied skills and knowledge essential for their holistic development and prepare them for world of work or higher education in future. It will also lead to optimal utilization of budgetary allocations and effective use of human resources and institutional structures created for erstwhile Schemes.

Benefits of Scheme

It provides holistic approach to education. It focuses on inclusion of senior secondary levels and pre-school levels in support for School education for t first time. It calls for integrated administration looking at school as continuum.
It will focus on Quality of Education with emphasis on improvement of learning outcomes. It will enhance capacity building of teachers. It will focus on strengthening teacher education Institutions like SCERTs and DIETs to improve the quality of teacher training.
It will enhance use of digital technology in education through smart classrooms, digital boards and DTK channels. It has specific provision for swachhta activities with support of ‘SwachhVidyalaya’. It will improve Quality of Infrastructure in Government Schools.
It has enhanced commitment to ‘Beti Bachao Beti Padhao’- Upgradation of KGBVs from class VI -VIII to upto class XII. It gives emphasis on ‘Kaushal Vikas’ in schools and supports ‘Khelo India’ for sports and physical equipment. It gives preference to educationally backward blocks (EBBs), Special Focus Districts (SFDs), Left Wing Extremism (LWEs), Border areas and 115 aspirational districts

Month: Current Affairs - March, 2018