Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan – A Complete Guide

Educating young minds is essential. It helps them learn, think, and be ready to make a positive difference in the world. Today’s children form tomorrow’s future.

Children’s schooling is essential as it ensures that they grow, learn and develop not only in terms of education but also in interpersonal skills that are formed in the formative years of an individual. Children’s education helps educate future generations about humanity, social skills and manners that are developed majorly in the early years of a child’s life. 

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What is Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan?

Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan is an initiative by the Government of India that focuses on establishing  the Universalisation of Elementary Education in the country. It came into effect from 2000 to 2001, in a time-bound- focussed manner and was also specified under the constitution. However, the time has been extended indefinitely. The Right to Education became a Fundamental Right in 2002 with the 86th Amendment to the Constitution, intending to provide every child in India with basic elementary education. 

The scheme is led by the Ministry of Human Resource Development. The scheme imposes compulsory and free education to every child between the age of 6 to 14. Certain changes were made to the SSA after implementing the Right to Education (RTE) Act in 2009.

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History of Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA)

The Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan was pioneered by the former Prime Minister of India, Atul Bhihari Vajpayee and came into enforcement in 2001-2002. It focussed on providing education to children across the country by the year 2010. The date has however been extended endlessly since then.

Before this scheme, the District Primary Education Programme was launched to provide Universal Primary education, in 1993-94. Under the program, a large development in the field of education could be noted. The funding of the program was distributed among the Central and State Governments. The programme had around 50 Million children under them, though little advancement could be noticed towards girl child education, and the ratio between girls and boys was large.

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Aim of Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan

The Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan was implemented to provide compulsory and free-of-cost education to all children between the ages of 6 and 14. It aims at ensuring that all children are provided with basic educational facilities and also focuses on improving the quality of education in government schools, by providing education that is useful and relevant.

• Establishing schools in regions with no schooling facility
• Enhance the facilities of existing schools by improving school infrastructure by adding additional classrooms, toilets, etc.
• Arrange alternatives for schooling
• Provide free uniforms and textbooks to children 
• Manage the management and improvement grants of schools
• Increase the strength of teachers in schools with a teacher shortage.
• Promote education of girl child 
• Promote and provide education to children with special needs or differently-abled children
• Provide equal opportunity to children of all backgrounds; i.e., SC/ST, Muslim Minority, etc
• Understand and analyse the educational requirements of children from traditionally excluded categories
• Bridge the digital divide by providing all schools with computers and providing computer education to children
• Enhance and improve the teaching of existing teachers by providing extensive training, course-work related materials, and maintaining academic support structure at block, cluster and district levels.

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Objectives of Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan

The scheme’s main objective is to provide quality education to children. Some of the major objectives include:

• Establishing schools in regions with no schooling facility
• Enhance the facilities of existing schools by improving school infrastructure by adding additional classrooms, toilets, etc.
• Arrange alternatives for schooling
• Provide free uniforms and textbooks to children 
• Manage the management and improvement grants of schools
• Increase the strength of teachers in schools with a teacher shortage.
• Promote education of girl child 
• Promote and provide education to children with special needs or differently-abled children
• Provide equal opportunity to children of all backgrounds; i.e., SC/ST, Muslim Minority, etc
• Understand and analyse the educational requirements of children from traditionally excluded categories
• Bridge the digital divide by providing all schools with computers and providing computer education to children
• Enhance and improve the teaching of existing teachers by providing extensive training, course-work related materials, and maintaining academic support structure at block, cluster and district levels.

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Features of Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan

Aimed at providing Universal Elementary Education, the programme aims at providing all minors with basic facilities for education. It also aims at meeting the benchmark of Equity and Justice in India by providing compulsory education to all young children across the country. The scheme also aims at providing all children with equal opportunities to enhance their human capabilities  by providing them with high-quality, locally-owned schools. 

The scheme also works towards ensuring an effective decentralisation of control through community-based ownership of schools. This includes community-based monitoring and an approach towards planning the school’s infrastructure and other facilities.

Who are the beneficiaries of the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan?

• Children between the age of 6 and 14 will be provided with compulsory and free education along with free access to uniforms and textbooks.
• Upgradation in the existing infrastructure and establishing schools in regions that do not have access to schooling.
• Teachers will be provided with necessary aids to enhance teaching methods and improve the current pedagogy.

Role of Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan in the Education in India

The Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan is considered to be the beginning towards ensuring proper, quality education for all. The passing of the Right to education act in 2009, is believed to have helped improve the implementation of the scheme across the country even more effectively.

The scheme works towards ensuring improved facilities for primary education in government schools across India. It has shown an increasing number of children attending schools and having access to primary education. Under the scheme, there have also been improvements and implementations towards building more schools and schooling facilities.

The scheme focuses on the larger picture and emphasizes the importance of imparting knowledge and understanding among young children and the importance of primary education. It also emphasises the impact early primary education has on a child’s growth and development

Initiatives under Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan

Padhe Bharat Bhade Bharat

Padhe Bharat Bhade Bharat was a sub-campaign introduced to bring out awareness among people about the importance of education and how it changes and influences the growth of the nation

The program aims at motivating and encouraging children to become self-reliant and independent and enable them to learn and gain basic reading and writing skills, gain the ability to count, identify shapes and make them independent problem solvers. Each state was given Rs. 726 Crore under the program.

Shagun Portal

The Union Government launched a web portal that was dedicated entirely to the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan to monitor and note the advancements of the program timely. It was developed by the World Bank in collaboration with the Union Ministry of Human Resource Development.

Achievements of Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan

There have been vast improvements in the field of education through the scheme. Here’s an overview of the achievements of the scheme:

1. According to the Press Information Bureau, the total enrollment in elementary schools rose from 18.79 Crore in 2009-2010 to 19.67 Crore in 2015-2016.
2. According to the USISE, the Gross Enrollment Ratio (GER) in 2015-2016 was 99.21% for primary levels and 92.81% for upper primary levels.
3. The Pupil Student Ratio (PSR) has also seen an increase from 23 in 2009-2010 to 25 in 2015- 2016. Most of the government schools have a PSR as assigned by the RTE, i.e., 30:1 in primary classes and 35:1 in upper primary classes
4. The Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan has paved way for the universalisation of schooling in India.
5. The Right to Education Act, of 2009, has helped in the convenient and quicker implementation of the scheme 
6. The scheme has helped in creating awareness among people about the importance of education and has also worked towards creating social justice and equality in the society.
7. The program has also helped create awareness about girl education and emphasized on the importance of primary education for all irrespective of their gender, caste, race, or standard of living.

What’s New in Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan

In 2018, the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha and Teacher Education, which were funded by the central government were merged together under a single Integrated Scheme for School Education, Samagra Shiksha. https://samagra.education.gov.in/ 

Vacancies for jobs like Computer Teachers, Primary Teachers, and many other posts are available to apply for online. The official website, Samagra Shiksha contains all the necessary details relating to recruitment, eligibility and salary.

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