New Delhi: The following steps have been taken by the Government to improve and maintain the quality of primary education in the country.
(i) The Central Government has launched an integrated scheme, for school education named as Samagra Shiksha w.e.f 2018-19, which subsumes the three erstwhile Centrally Sponsored schemes of school education i.e Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA), Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA) and Centrally Sponsored Scheme on Teacher Education (CSSTE). The common objectives of all these Schemes were to enhance access, to promote equity through the inclusion of disadvantaged groups and weaker sections and to improve the quality of education. However, the Samagra Shiksha scheme, envisages school education as a continuum from pre-school to senior secondary level and aims to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education for all. The Samagra Shiksha scheme focuses on improvement of quality of education by providing support for different interventions like; in-service training of teachers and schools heads, conduct of achievement surveys at National and State level, composite school grant to every school for providing a conducive learning environment, library grants, provision of textbooks as per Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009, remedial teaching for academically weaker students, ICT and digital initiatives, grants for sports and physical education etc.
(ii) In order to increase focus on quality of elementary education, the Central rules to the RTE Act, 2009 have been amended on 20th February, 2017 to include reference on class-wise, subject-wise Learning Outcomes. The Learning Outcomes for each class in Languages (Hindi, English and Urdu), Mathematics, Environmental Studies, Science and Social Science up to the elementary stage have, accordingly, been finalized and shared with all States and UTs. Learning outcomes have been translated in different languages and serve as a benchmark for student’s capabilities to be achieved in each subject & class.
(iii) National Achievement Survey for classes 3, 5, and 8 based on learning outcomes was conducted on 13th November, 2017 with a sample frame upto district level to enable States and UTs to identify gaps in learning outcomes at district level and design strategies to address those gaps. District Report Cards are available along with learning gaps for each district.
(iv) Section 23(2) of the RTE Act has been amended to extend the period for training of untrained in-service elementary teachers to 31st March, 2019. As per above amendment, all untrained in-service teachers working in Government, Government aided, and Private un-aided schools should acquire minimum qualification as laid down by an academic authority, authorized by the Central Government, by 31st March, 2019.
(v) The National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) has been entrusted to conduct this training through ODL (Open Distance Learning) mode. The online D.El.Ed. course has started from 3rd October, 2017. More than 13 Lakh teachers have joined these courses.
(vi) In addition to above, the Central Government, supports States and UTs on early grade reading, writing & comprehension, and early Mathematics programmes through a sub-programme namely ‘Padhe Bharat Badhe Bharat’ (PBBB) in foundational years of schooling.
(vii) The Government has also launched Rashtriya Aavishkar Abhiyan (RAA) programme on 09.07.2015, to motivate and engage children of the age group from 6-18 years in Science, Mathematics and Technology through observation, experimentation, inference drawing, model building, etc. both through inside and outside classroom activities.
(viii) The NCERT has developed a framework for Performance Indicators for Elementary School Teachers (PINDICS) and shared with the states. PINDICS is a framework for accessing teacher performance and providing contructive feedback for further improvement.
Under the Samagra Shiksha scheme, provision has been made for giving preference to Educationally Backward Blocks (EBBs), Left Wing Extremism (LWE) affected districts, Special Focus Districts (SFDs), Border areas and the 115 Aspirational districts.
The RTE Act, 2009, has come into force with effect from 1st April, 2010 in all the States and Union Territories (UTs) except the State of Jammu and Kashmir. It provides a legal framework that entitles all children between the ages of 6-14 years free and compulsory education till completion of elementary education. It also lays down the norms and standards relating inter alia to Pupil Teacher Ratios (PTRs), buildings and infrastructure, school-working days, teacher-working hours, appointment of trained teachers etc. The Central Government has been consistently pursuing with the States and UTs to implement various interventions/provisions of RTE, Act, 2009 at various fora. Advisories for same have also been issued to States and UTs from time to time.
This information was given by the Minister of State (HRD), Shri Upendra Kushwaha today in a written reply to a Lok Sabha question.
