The Hindu : Karnataka News : 100 schools planned under Sarva Shikshana Abhiyan scheme

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, May 02, 2004

Karnataka

Karnataka

100 schools planned under Sarva Shikshana Abhiyan scheme

By Nagesh Prabhu

BANGALORE, MAY 1. The Sarva Shikshana Abhiyan (SSA) wing of the Department of Education has proposed to the Centre that 10 government schools be opened in Chamarajanagar district to arrest the high dropout rate in schools in the border district.

The 10 schools will be opened under the Sarva Shikshana Abhiyan (universal elementary education) programme of the Union Government during 2004-05. The State Government is awaiting the formal approval of Union Ministry of Human Resource Development (HRD) for the purpose.

The consulting agency of the Union Ministry of HRD has accepted the proposal of the State SSA and recommended its clearance, SSA officials in the State told The Hindu .

The reason for selecting Chamarajanagar district is the low rate of literacy among women (43.02 per cent), low rate of literacy among women in rural areas (39.10 per cent), high dropout rate and schools being situated far away from villages.

In the perspective plan submitted to the Union Ministry of HRD, the SSA officials have sought the setting up of over 100 new schools in the State. Uttara Kannada might get 39 schools, Davangere district 10, Tumkur district 19, Bangalore Urban district 15 and Bellary and Gadag districts two each. These districts require more number of primary schools as the literacy rate among women is low and the existing schools are overcrowded.

The SSA project officials in the districts are revising their plans again and may propose more number of schools in some of the districts. The consolidated proposal will be submitted to the Union Ministry of HRD within a few days, sources said.

The SSA programme was launched in the country and in the State in 2000-01 to ensure that all children in the age group of six to 14 received eight years of education. Girls, poor children and the disabled have benefited the most from the SSA, say officials.

The first phase of the SSA project ended on March 31, 2004. The Centre has since decided to extend the programme from 2004 till 2007 and it will cover all government and aided primary schools in the State.

Though the programme was launched in 2000-01 in the State, the implementation was slow till last year because of problems related to infrastructure, lack of teachers and other school employees. The Union Ministry of HRD has asked the State to improve organisational efficiency to achieve the desired results.

The funds under the SSA will be utilised to build and extend primary and upper primary schools, provide training in social mobilisation and educational management and for payment of salaries to teachers hired under the programme. The project will also provide for distribution of free textbooks to girls and students belonging to the Scheduled Cates and Scheduled Tribes, appointment of women teachers and provision of grants to districts to support students with disability.

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