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Unit 17: District Primary Education Programme

Many of the components of the programme are equally applicable to other districts, which are Notes
not now covered under this programme. More over the lessons learned from planning and
implementing this programme can be extended to other districts. The efforts is to improve
system level efficiency to manage the educational initiatives. Mobilization, participation and
school effectiveness are cardinal elements of the programme. It envisages to revive the initiatives
within the school to make it more effective. All activities are centred to promote this initiative
of the schools.
Finally, DPEP is not an exercise for finding unique solutions. The effort, on the other hand, is to
experiment ideas and innovations, which may have wider applicability. Its success and
sustainability depend on how realistic are we in designing the programmes and how careful
are we in implementing them. The focus is essentially on the process dimension. Funds provide
only a necessary condition for the success. The sufficient condition is provided by our own
capacity to plan and implement programmes. Even though plans are prepared at the district
level, they are to be finally implemented in the schools and classrooms. How effectively this
linkage is established will determine the success of the programme.

What is the criterias to select a district under the DPEP programme?

17.4.1 Strategies under DPEP

Each district is expected to undertake and complete studies specific to the areas, which are to be
emphasized in the plans. Such district studies help evolving strategies, which are applicable in
the specific context of the district. The problems of the district may vary. Some of them can be
resolved at the district level while others require interventions at the state level. The basis for
evolving such intervention strategies is the studies. In the previous year all the DPEP districts
have initiated several studies in the areas of learner achievement, teacher motivations, problems
specific to deprived groups, textbook and curriculum issues, gender issues and state finances.
These studies have come out with a number of intervention strategies to improve the efficiency
of the system. The district plans are expected to incorporate these findings while detailing out
the annual plans.
(i) Planning and Classroom Practices: DPEP envisages linking district plans with school
processes and classroom practices. It is an effort to bring together the pedagogical necessities
and broader educational concerns. The ultimate objective is to improve the school processes
and outcomes.
To many a planner, the operational efficiency of the units (schools) is an assumption and
hence the action lies outside the classrooms. The conventional educational planner never
enters into the classrooms and the typical pedagogue never gets out of the classrooms.
While the vision of the former is to wide and broad to be understood and appreciated by the
pedagogue, the vision of the pedagogue is too narrow and myopic to be considered seriously
by the planner. Resultantly, the planner is isolated from the action and the actions are
isolated from the plans. To build bridge between them is difficult, if not impossible. The
programme makes a serious effort to link these two sets of actors.
Improving classroom practices and school management, no doubt, form the core to the
success of educational programmes. The programme envisages create local specific
facilitating conditions to improve teacher competencies through frequent in-service training
programmes, improving school management through training in planning and
management of educational functionaries. The efforts to strengthen state level resource
organizations like SCERT; district level institutions like DIET and to create new structures

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