SCHOOL EDUCATION AND PHYSICAL EDUCATION
SCHOOL EDUCATION
Universalisation of Elementary Edu- Universalisation of Elementary Education (UEE) has been one of the
cation important goals of educational development. The Sixth Five Year Plan
(1980-85) envisaged it as a part of the Minimum Needs Programme and
stated that "essential minimum education to all children upto the age of
14 years" will be provided by the year 1989-90. Point 10 of the new 20
Point Programme deals with Education and emphasises on girls' educa-
tion. The National Education Policy, 1986 also gives an unqualified
priority to Universalisation of Elementary Education. It resolves that an
array of meticulously formulated strategies based on micro-planning, and
applied at the grass-root level all over the country, would be adopted, to
ensure children's retention at school. This effort will be fully coordinated
with the network of non-formal education. It shall be ensured that all
children who attain the age of about 11 years by 1990 will have had five
years of schooling, or its equivalent through the non-formal stream. Like-
wise, by 1995 all children will be provided free and compulsory education
up to 14 years of age.
The policy further states that National System of Education implies
that upto a given level all students have access to education of a compar-
able quality. Therefore, the policy stipulates the need to make provision of
essential facilities in primary schools including at least two reasonably
large rooms that are usable in all weather, the necessary toys, blackboards,
maps, charts and other learning material. At least two teachers, one of
whom a woman, should work in every school increasing the number as
early as possible to one teacher per class. A phased drive called 'Opera-
tion Blackboard' has been envisaged in the Policy to be undertaken with
immediate effect to improve primary schools all over the country. The
Policy also envisages a large and systematic programme of non-formal
education for school dropouts, for children from habitations without
schools, working children and girls who cannot attend whole day schools.
Additional enrolment target during 1987-88 in classes I-VIII is 53.29
lakhs fixed under the 20 Point Programme. Comprehensive measures such
as conversion of single-teacher schools into two-teacher schools, improve-
ment of physical facilities of primary and middle schools, appointment of
women-teachers, special attention to girls and to target groups like SC and
ST, adequate provision of incentives like free text-books and stationery,
free uniforms specially for girls, attendance scholarships particularly for
girls and mid-day-meals etc. have been envisaged and 'undertaken to
reduce the high drop-out rates at the elementary stage and for improving
the retention rates.
Substantial progress has been achieved in the provision of schooling
facilities since 1951. The number of primary schools increased from
2,09,671 in 1950-51 to 5,28,079 as on 30-9-1985, thus recording an in-
crease of about 252 per cent. During the same period, the number of
middle schools increased from 13,596 to 1,34,074 thus recording more
than ten-fold increase. At the time of Fourth All India Educational Survey,
92.82 per cent of the rural population were served with Primary schools/
sections within a walking distance of 1 km, 78.83 per cent of rural popu-
lation were served with middle schools/sections within a distance of 3 kms.
Although it has not been possible to attain the goal of universal enrol-
ment, the progress achieved in increasing, enrolment so far has indeed
been remarkable. The total enrolment of Classes I to V increased from
19.153 million in 1950-51 to 86.465 million in 1985-86. The enrolment
of boys increased from 13.770 million to 51.732 million over this period
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while enrolment of girls increased from 5.385 million to 34.733 minion.
The total enrolment in classes I to V rose by 4.5 times, while the enrol-
ment of boys and girls registered an increase by 3.7 times and 6.4 times
respectively. The enrolment in classes VI-VIll increased from 3.120
million (2.586 million boys and 0.534 million girls) in 1950-51 to 28.124
(18.132 million boys and 9.992 million girls) in 1985-86. The total enrol-
ment of children in classes I to VIll increased from 22.275 million in
1950-51 to 114.589 million in 1985-86, thus registering a more than five-
fold increase. The enrolment of boys in classes I-VIII increased from
16.356 to 69.864 million, while the enrolment of girls increased from
5.919 million to 44.725 million.
The school level education is primarily looked after by the State Gov-
ernments. Education in classes I-VIII in Government schools in most of
the States and Union Territories of the country is free. Uttar Pradesh is
the only State where education of boys in Classes VII-VIII is not free.
Many of the States and Union Territories in the country have enacted
legislation for compulsory primary education. Due to the vast numbers in-
volved and the socioeconomic compulsions keeping children away from
schools and the physical inability to cover the provisions of the legislation
make it very difficult to enforce the penal provisions of various legisla-
tions.
Operation Blackboard The Scheme of Operation Blackboard was formulated in pursuit of the
goal of universalisation of elementary education. It aims to bring about
substantial improvement in facilities in primary schools run by Govern-
ment, Local bodies, Panchayat Raj and recognised aided institutions. It
has three-inter-dependent components namely, (i) Provision of atleast two
all-weather rooms, (ii) provision of atleast two teachers, as far as possible
one of them a woman, in every primary single teacher schools and
(iii) provision of essential teaching and learning equipment. Funds
for construction of school buildings will be provided from NREP/RLEGP
programmes. Funds for other components will be provided by Ministry of
Human Resource Development. It is proposed to implement the scheme of
Operation Blackboard in a phased manner covering 20 per cent of blocks
and municipal areas in 1987-88, 30 per cent in 1988-89 and 50 per cent
in 1989-90, so as to cover all the primary schools by 1990. Rs. 100 crores
have been earmarked for providing assistance during 1987-88 and
Rs. 219.19 crores proposed for 1988-89.
Percentage of Plan-wise outlay for elementary education vis-a-vis total outlay, for education
(Rs. in millions)
OUTLAY
Total Elemen- Percen-
Education tary tage of
Education Column
3 to 2
2 3 4
1st Plan (1951-56) 1690 930 55.0
2nd Plan (1956-61) 2770 930 34.0
3rd Plan (1961-66) 5600 2090 37.0
4th Plan (1969-74) 8220 2560 31.0
5th Plan (1974-78) 12850 4100 32.0
6th Plan (1980-8 5) 25240 9050 36.0
7th Plan (1985-90) 57330 19630 34.0
SOURCE: A Handbook of Educational & Allied Statistics, 1987 brought out by
Ministry of Human Resource Development.
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Non-Formal Education Programme To achieve the goal of Universalisation of Elementary Education in
for Elementary Age-group Children fulfilment of the Constitutional objectives, non-formal education progra
me for the elementary age-group children is being developed as an alter-
native supportive system of formal schooling. The Scheme which was in-
troduced during 1979-80 as a Centrally assisted scheme in 9 educa-
tionally backward States, namely, Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya
Pradesh, Rajasthan, Jammu &-Kashmir, West Bengal, Bihar, Assam and
Orissa to which now would be added Arunachal Pradesh, has since been
reorganised and expanded. Under the revised scheme, assistance will con-
tinue to be given to these 10 States for running NFE centres in the ratio
of 50 : 50 and 90 : 10 for general NFE centres and NFE centres exclusively
for girls respectively. In addition, assistance will now also be given to
States, other than the educationally backward States for NFE programme
for children in urban slums, hilly, desert and tribal areas and projects for
education of working children.
The revised scheme provides an area specific approach with the centres
organised into compact and contiguous area, co-terminus as far as possible
with CD block. The expenditure pattern in the scheme has also been re-
vised keeping in view the emphasis in the education policy on upgradation
of the quality of NFE and the deficiencies observed in the evaluation of
the programme undertaken by the NCERT & NIEPA.
The National Policy on Education, 1986 clearly spells out that much
of the work of running of NFE centres will be done through the voluntary
agencies and Panchayati Raj institutions. To increase the participation of
the voluntary organisations in the non-formal education programme and to
provide them with the required support, State Governments had been ad-
vised to help the voluntary organisations to choose project areas so that
there is no overlapping of centres and to extend whatever help was required
for training of facilitators, development and supply of educational material
and inspection and monitoring of centres. State Governments have also
been advised to organise workshop/seminars to motivate more and--more
voluntary organisations to take up NFE in the States in a massive way
with a view to increasing the coverage of children and also involve com-
munity participation.
During the current financial year, a total grant of Rs. 2182.42 lakhs
has been sanctioned to six States/Union Territories, namely, Andhra Pra-
desh (263.14 lakhs), Bihar (802.61 lakhs), West Bengal (215.77 lakhs),
Uttar Pradesh (897.49 lakhs), Dadra and Nagar Haveli (1.65 lakhs) and
Mizoram (1.76 lakhs) and Rs. 42.18 lakhs to voluntary organisations
(23.13 lakhs for running and setting up NFE centres and 19.05 lakhs for
innovative and experimental projects). The budget outlay for NFE ex-
cluding SIDA programme for 1987-88 is Rs. 48.85 crores. It is hoped
that by the end of the current financial year 1987-88, there will be an
enrolment of 50 lakh children through 2 lakh NFE centres (2000 projects).
A Centrally Sponsored Scheme of Restructing and Reorganisation of
Restructuring and Reorganisation Teacher Education is being taken up during the 7th Five Year Plan period
of Teacher Education with the objectives of (i) imparting suitable pre-service and in-service
training to School Teachers so that they may competently discharge the
role envisaged for them in the NPE & POA, and (ii) Provision of all-round
academic support to the School System, as also to AE & NFE Schemes
through properly strengthened teacher education institutions. The Scheme
has the following five components viz.,
(1) Mass Orientation of about 5,00,000 school teachers annually
till 1989-90 to familiarise them with the major thrusts en-
visaged in the NPE and to improve their professional com-
petence;
(2) Setting up of about 400 District Institutes of Education and
Training (DIETs) either by upgrading suitable existing Ele-
mentary Teacher Education Institutions or, where necessary,
by establishing new ones-so as to provide total academic and
training support to the Elementary Education System at the
district level;