OVERVIEW PIONEERING RADICAL ALTERNATIVES
Enrolment data and age-specific literacy rates have made it amply clear that much progress has been made in India in expanding access to education. In 1993-94, about 108 million children were enrolled in primary school, up from 100.9 million in 1990. This has further increased to 109.8 million in 1995-96.
The nation has set before itself the task of achieving full literacy by 2005 AD. This would mean enrolling and retaining all children within the age-group of 6-14 up to class VIII level either through the formal. school system or the non-formal system with comparable standards. It would also mean the acquisition of functional literacy by more than 100 million adults in the age group of 15-35.
* An estimated 95% of the rural population living in 826,000 habitations have a primary school within 1 km.
* 84% of the population have an upper primary school within 3 km.
* 150 million enrolments in the age group of 6-14 years covering about 90% of the children in this age group.
A Constitution Amendment Bill has been introduced in the Indian Parliament to make elementary education a fundamental right demonstrating the political will and administrative resolve of the country to achieve Universalisation of Elementary Education (UEE) and banish illiteracy.
India is one of the few countries where during the stabilisation phase of structural adjustment, expenditure on education has been stepped up. The government is fully seized of the fact that nothing less than a wholehearted national effort both in the public and private sectors would be necessary if India is to emerge as a fully literate and economically vibrant nation in the 21st century.
The 8th Plan (1992-97) has been marked by a significant breakthrough in attitudes and perceptions in education. Radical alternatives have been pioneered by the government and NGOs for achieving the goals of UEE. The basic conceptual shift has been in decentralising planning and management, in social mobilisation of the teachers, community and voluntary agencies. Gender issues and problems of the vulnerable sections of society have come into sharp focus. Specific components for
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mobilising women and ameliorating the conditions of the girl child have been built into internationally assisted projects.
Access to education has increased as an estimated 95% of the rural population living in 826,000 habitations have a primary school within a walking distance of 1 km and 84% of the rural population have an upper primary school within a walking distance of 3 kms.
The Indian elementary education system is today one of the largest systems in the world with 150 million enrolments in the age group of 6-14 years covering about 90% of the children of this age group. Gross enrolment ratio at the primary stage has increased from 100.1% in 1990 to 104.3 % in 1995-96 and at the upper primary stage (class VI-VIII) from 62.14% to 67.6%.
A major step to improve efficiency and effectiveness has been the collective exercise between the Government of India and the states to develop a time-bound action plan to reduce dropouts and remove systemic deficiencies in the implementation of educational schemes.
The expenditure on education as a percentage of GNP has averaged nearly 4 per cent in the nineties. The total plan allocation has increased from Rs. 1,530 million in the 1st Plan to Rs. 196,000 million in the 8th Plan.
A major initiative to achieve UEE, the District Primary Education Programme (DPEP) has made much progress. It has emerged as one of the major vehicles for UEE as well as for international assistance for basic education.
A nationwide school meal programme has been launched recently, to provide nutritional support to primary education.
Great strides in adult literacy have been made through the Total Literacy Campaigns and the Post Literacy Campaigns.
Distance education is emerging as a major vehicle for improving teacher education and as an alternative mode of education. A significant development is the emergence of the National Open School as the hub of a network of state level open schools.
India is boldly venturing ahead with specific time bound targets, to make the right to free and compulsory education a fundamental right and to make the nation fully literate.
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