J. Krishnamurthi

Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan-

Objectives, Structure and Strategies

Objectives

• All children in school, Education Guarantee Centre, Alternate School, 'Back to School' camp by 2003;
• 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 schooling by 2010;
• Focus on elementary education of satisfactory quality with emphasis on education for life;
• Bridge all gender and social gaps at primary stage by 2007 and at elementary education level by 2010;
• Universal retention by 2010.

Structure for implementation

The central and state governments will together implement the SSA in partnership with the local governments and the community. To signify the priority attached to this programme, a National Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan Mission has been set up, with the Prime Minister and Human Resource Development Minister as the chairperson and vice-chairperson. The states have been asked to form implementation societies for UEE under the chief ministers and education ministers-many states have already done this.

The SSA will not disturb existing structures in states and districts but would only try to bring convergence in all these efforts. Functional decentralisation down to the school level will be ensured to maximise community participation. Besides recognising PRIs/ Tribal Councils in Scheduled Areas, including the Gram Sabha, the states would be encouraged to enlarge the accountability framework by involving NGOs, teachers, activists, and women's organisations.

Strategies

Strategies central to the SSA include:

• Institutional reforms in the states' education systems;
• Sustainable financing through partnership between central and state governments;
• Improving mainstream educational administration through institutional development;
• Community-based monitoring with full transparency and accountability;
• Focus on girls, SC/ST, religious and linguistic minorities, disabled, and other disadvantaged groups;
• Focus on the development needs of teachers;
• Thrust on quality through improved curriculum and effective teaching methods;
• Elementary education plans in each district to reflect all investments being made in the elementary education sector.

Girls' Education: A lifeline to development

Education is one of the most critical factors in the empowerment of women, as both the Cairo and Beijing conferences affirmed. It is also an area that offers some of the clearest examples of discrimination women suffer. Among children not attending school there are twice as many girls as boys, and among illiterate adults there are twice as many women as men.

Offering girls basic education is one sure way of giving them much greater power, enabling them to make genuine choices regarding their lives. This is not a luxury. The Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women establish it as a basic human right.

That women might have the chance of a healthier and happier life should be reason enough for promoting girls' education. However, there are also important benefits for society as a whole. An educated woman has the skills, information and self-confidence that she needs to be a better parent, worker and citizen.

An educated woman is, for example, likely to marry at a later age and have fewer children. Cross-country studies show that an extra year of schooling for girls reduces fertility rates by 5 to 10 per cent. And the children of an educated mother are more likely to survive. In India, for example, the infant mortality rate of babies whose mothers have received primary education is half that of children whose mothers are illiterate.

An educated woman will also be more productive at work and better paid. Indeed, the dividend for educational investment is often higher for women than for men. Studies from a number of countries suggest that an extra year of schooling will increase a woman's future earnings by about 15 per cent, compared to 11 per cent for a man.

The recent decades have seen significant progress in girls' education. Between 1970 and 1992, combined primary and secondary enrolment for girls in developing countries rose from 38 per cent to 68 per cent, with particularly high rates in East Asia (83 per cent) and Latin America (87 per cent). But there is still some way to go. In the least developed countries, enrolment rates are only 47 per cent at the primary level and 12 per cent at the secondary level.

What would it take to improve girls' access to education? Experiences in scores of countries show the importance, among other things, of:

• Parental and community involvement
  Families and communities must be important partners of schools in developing curriculum and managing children's education.
  
• Low cost and flexible timetables
  Basic education should be free or cost very little. Wherever possible, there should be stipends and scholarships to compensate families for the loss of girls' household labour. Also, school hours should be flexible so that children can help at home and still attend classes.
  
• Schools close to home, with women teachers
  Many parents worry about girls travelling long distances on their own. Many parents also prefer to have daughters taught by women.
  
• Preparation for school
  Girls do best when they receive early childhood care, which enhances their self-esteem and prepares them for school.
  
• Relevant curricula
  Learning materials should be relevant to the girl's background and be in the local language. They should also avoid reproducing gender stereotypes.