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Unit 18: Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan

Governments and Local Self Governments. The programme aims to provide useful and relevant, Notes
elementary education to all children in the 6 to 14 age group by 2010. It is an initiative to
universalize and improve quality of education through decentralized and context specific
planning and a process based, time bound implementation strategy. The programme lays
emphasis on bridging all gender and social category gaps at elementary education level with
time bound objectives. On one hand, SSA is a programme with its own targets, norms and
processes and on the other it is an umbrella programme covering other programmes like
District Primary Education Programme (DPEP), Lok Jumbish, Operational Blackboard, etc. The
gigantic dimensions of the programme and the financial implications call for a meticulous
planning and a rigorous appraisal.
SSA adopts, “the bottom-up” process of planning, wherein the felt needs of the served
communities and educational needs of learners are well taken care of and the plan fits into the
broad framework of SSA. In view of the fact that the desired improvement and sustenance of
the improved efficiency level can not be achieved without the active involvement of the
community in the schooling system, SSA has emphasized the involvement of local people &
stakeholders in planning. This also ensures reflection of local specificity, which is essential for
achieving the goals of the programme.

It is an established fact that basic education improves the level of human well-being
especially with regard to life expectancy, infant mortality, nutritional status of children
etc.

18.2 Basic Features of SSA

• Institutional reforms in states.
• Sustainable financing in partnership with states (IX Plan 85:15, X Plan 75:25, After X plan
50:50).
• Community ownership of school based interventions through effective decentralization.
• Institutional capacity building for improvement in quality.
• Community based monitoring with full transparency in all aspects of implementation.
• Community based approach to planning with a habitation as a unit of planning.
• A mainstreaming gender approach.
• Focus on the educational participation of children from the SC/ST, religious and linguistic
minorities, etc.
• Thrust on quality and making education relevant.
• Recognition of critical role of teacher and focus on the human resource development
needs of teachers
• Preparation of District Elementary Education Plans reflecting all governmental and non-
governmental investments.

18.3 Major Characteristics of SSA

Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan is an attempt to provide quality education to all children through active
participation of community in a mission mode.
• A programme with a clear time frame for universal elementary education.
• A response to the demand for quality basic education all over the country.
• An opportunity for promoting social justice through basic education.

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