Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan Scheme for Universal Elementary Education. Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) is a comprehensive and integrated flagship programme of Government of India to attain Universal Elementary Education (UEE), covering the entire country in a mission mode.
SSA has been launched in 2001-2002 in partnership with the State Governments and Local Self Governments. The programme aims to provide useful and relevant, elementary education to all children in the 6 to 14 age group by 2010.
| Category | Scheme |
| Title | Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan Scheme |
| Subjcet | To provide useful and relevant, elementary education to all children in the 6 to 14 age group by 2010 |
| Name of the Scheme | Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan |
| Location | All over India |
| Date of Launched | 2001-2002 |
| Official website | www.ssa.nic.in |
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.
Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan programme to support the states in creating, developing and strengthening the formal primary and upper primary school systems to achieve the Goals of UEE
- Universal access and enrolment,
- Universal retention
- Universal achievement
- by providing useful and relevant elementary education to all children of the age group 6-14 years.
Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan is an attempt to fill this vacuum and covers all the districts in the country unlike the earlier programmes on elementary education. The programme covers the whole gamut of the elementary education sector and is flexible enough to incorporate new interventions like specific interventions for girls, e.g., NPEGEL, Kasturba Gandhi Programme.
Aims and objectives of SSA:
The Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan aims to provide useful and relevant elementary education for all children in the 6 to 14 age group by 2010. There is also another goal to bridge social, regional and gender gaps, with the active participation of the community in the management of schools. Following are the main objectives of SSA. SSA was launched in 2000-01 with the objectives of
- all children in school, Education Guarantee Centre, Alternate School, ‘Back-to-School’ camp by 2003 (later amended to 2005);
- all children complete five years of primary schooling by 2007;
- all children complete eight years of elementary schooling by 2010;
- focus on elementary education of satisfactory quality with emphasis on education for life;
- bridge all gender and social category gaps at the primary and upper primary stage by 2007; and
- universal retention by 2010.
The components of SSA include:
(a) preparatory activities for micro-planning, household surveys, studies, community mobilization, school-based activities, office equipment, training and orientation at all levels.
(b) appointment of teachers,
(c) opening of new primary and alternative schooling facility like EGS/AIE centres,
(d) opening of upper primary schools
(e) constructing additional classrooms, schools and other facilities
(f) free textbooks to all children,
(g) maintenance and repair of school buildings
(h) Teaching Learning Equipment for primary schools on up-gradation of EGS to regular schools or setting up of a new primary school and for new upper primary schools,
(i) school grant,
(j) teacher grant,
(k) teachers’ training,
(l) opening of SIEMAT,
(m) training of community leaders,
(n) provision for children with special needs,
(o) Research, Evaluation, Monitoring & Supervision,
(p) management cost,
(q) learning enhancement programme (LEP)
(r) innovative activity for girl’s education, early childhood care & education, interventions for children belonging to SC/ST, minority community, deprived children in urban areas and computer education specially for upper primary level
(s) setting up of BRCs/CRCs,
(t) interventions for out of school children
Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan is an attempt to provide quality education to all children through active participation of the community in a mission mode.
The major characteristics of SSA are:
- preparatory activities for micro-planning, household surveys, studies, community mobilization, school-based activities, office equipment, training and orientation at all levels.
- appointment of teachers,
- opening of new primary and alternative schooling facility like EGS/AIE centres,
- opening of upper primary schools
- constructing additional classrooms, schools and other facilities
- free textbooks to all children,
- maintenance and repair of school buildings
- Teaching Learning Equipment for primary schools on up-gradation of EGS to regular schools or setting up of a new primary school and for new upper primary schools,
- school grant,
- teacher grant,
- teachers’ training,
- opening of SIEMAT,
- training of community leaders,
- provision for children with special needs,
- Research, Evaluation, Monitoring & Supervision,
- management cost,
- learning enhancement programme (LEP)
- innovative activity for girl’s education, early childhood care & education, interventions for children belonging to SC/ST, minority community, deprived children in urban areas and computer education specially for upper primary level
- setting up of BRCs/CRCs,
- interventions for out of school children
Basic Features of Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan Scheme:
- 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.
- A community-based approach to planning with 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 the critical role of teacher and focus on the human resource development needs of teachers
- Preparation of District Elementary Education Plans to reflect all governmental and non-governmental investments.
Major Areas of Interventions in SSA:
- Education of out-of-school children (Educational Guarantee Scheme and Alternative & Innovative Education)
- Quality Improvement
- Special Focus Groups
- Research and Evaluation
- Management Structure and Institutional Capacity Building
- Community Mobilization
- Civil Works
- Monitoring and MIS
- Financial Management and Procurement
Check more details of Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan Scheme from here