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Development of Education System

Notes achievement levels by 25 percentage points over and above the measured baseline levels;
(iv) to reduce disparities of all types to less than 5 percent.
• The focus of each plan may vary depending upon the level of development of primary
education in the selected district.
• The criteria to identify districts under the programme are : i) educationally ward districts
with female literacy below the national average; and ii) districts where have been successful
leading to enhanced demand for primary education.
• The success of planning and implementing plans at the district level depends on the
freedom to allocate and reallocate funds by the district level authorities. In India, very
often, the funding decisions are decided at higher levels and hence planning at the local
levels becomes an exercise in dovetailing the priorities set at the state level.
• One of the features of DPEP is its funding source. A substantial share of the funds is drawn
from the external sources. And the funding sources are getting diversified over a period of
time. It is a centrally sponsored scheme and hence the sources of funding are less important
for the districts. The more crucial point is a guarantee from the Union government that
the funds will be made available as and when needed as per the requirements projected in
the district plans.
• These funds are to be seen as additionalities and are not substitutable for the existing
programmes.
• DPEP envisages distinct management structures to facilitate better implementation of the
programme, to closely monitor the activities and to facilitate faster flow of funds. These
structures are envisaged at the national, state and district levels (for details see Department
of Education: 1994). The focus of all these new structures is to facilitate implementation of
district plans.
• Developing a Management Information System (MIS) to collect information to monitor
DPEP activities is an essential element in the programme.
• Even in the selected states, all the districts are not covered under this programme. At
present the programme covers 42 districts - 19 districts of Madhya Pradesh, 5 districts of
Maharashtra, 4 districts of Assam, Haryana and Karnataka, 3 districts of Kerala and Tamil
Nadu. The planning process is complete in these districts. The programme is extended to
5 districts of West Bengal and Andhra Pradesh where the planning process has been initiated.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• DPEP envisages the planning responsibility to be undertaken entirely by the people at the
district level. This necessitates developing planning competencies at the district level. The
best way to develop competencies is to initiate planning exercise in a realistic fashion. The
planning methodologies are simplified and are easily understandable by the people at the
district level.
• The district level plans are developed by those people who are the direct beneficiaries of
the programme. This necessitates a consultative process to arrive at areas of convergence
to set priorities.

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