Page 153 - DEDU501_DEVELOPMENT_OF_EDUCATION_SYSTEM_ENGLISH

Unit 16: Programmes of UEE

3. Restructuring Education: The single point entry system must be replaced by multiple entry Notes
system under which it will be open for older children of 9, 11 or 14 to join primary schools
in separate classes organised for their needs. Facilities for part time education even at primary
stage should be introduced. It should also be made possible for older children to join the
prescribed courses at any time and also complete them in much shorter period.
4. Provision of Facilities to Poor Students: Facilities such as free supply of books and stationery,
free uniforms and school means can be helpful in retaining children in schools. But more
than that is the need for providing part-time educational facilities to the children from the
poor families.
16.6 New Scheme Elementary Education

Since the formulation of the National Policy on education—NPE, (1986) and the Programme of
Action—POA (1986), several new schemes for the qualitative as well as quantitative improvement of
primary education and reaching the goal of UEE, have been initiated by the Government of India,
Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD), Department of Education. Some of the old
schemes have also been revised and strengthened. In this regard, a brief review of the following
scheme is provided in this chapter.
1. District Primary Education Programme (DPEP)
2. Elementary Education as a Fundamental Right.
3. Lok Jumbish (LJ).
4. Minimum Levels of Learning (MLLs).
5. National Elementary Education Mission (NEEM).
16.6.1 District Primary Education Programme (DPEP)
DPEP launched in 1993 is a national initiative to achieve Universalisation of Elementary Education
(UEE) through district level intervention. The overall goal of the programme is the reconstruction
of primary education system to operationalise the strategy of UEE as envisaged in NPC 1986 (as
updated in 1992) and its Programme of Action—POA (1992) through decentralised planning and
management, disaggregated target setting, community mobilisation and population specific
planning. The fundamental principle of DPEP is to evolve strategy at state and district level. It
goes beyond the conventional packages such as opening of new schools and appointing new
teachers, and addresses the issues of content, process, quality and equity in education.
Objectives
The objectives of DPEP are:
(i) to reduce difference in enrolment, drop-out and learning achievement among gender and
social groups to less than 5 per cent.
(ii) to reduce overall primary drop-out rates for all students to less than 10 per cent.
(iii) to raise average achieved level.
16.6.2 National Programme of Nutritional Support to Primary Education
(NP-NSPE) or Mid- Day Meals

Objective
A nation-wide programme of NP-NSPE launched on August 15, 1995 is intended to give a boost
to universalisation of primary education by increasing enrolment, retention and attendance and
simultaneously to make an impact on nutritional levels of students in primary classes.
The ultimate aim under the programme is the provision of wholesome cooked/processed food
having a calorific value equivalent to 100 gms. of wheat/rice per student per school day.

LOVELY PROFESSIONAL UNIVERSITY 147