Saturday May 17, 02:28 AM
World Bank backs govt's elementary education scheme with $600 million
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The World Bank has approved a $600 million credit to support the UPA government's flagship programme the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) which is designed to provide all children aged 6 to 14 with education of satisfactory quality. The second elementary education project aims to improve quality and access to this critical social service. The project also aims to promote equity by enabling hard-to-reach children to attend school. It will create better learning conditions for all children and provide capacity building and academic support to state and sub-state education structures. In the area of oversight, the project will help monitor learning outcomes and support research and evaluation of quality initiatives. A World Bank release said India has made strong progress in enhancing access to education. In 2002, the country made elementary education a fundamental right of every child through its 86th constitutional amendment. Between 2003 and 2005, the number of out-of-school children was reduced from 25 million to about 13.4 million. The transition rates from primary to upper primary also improved, from 75% in 2002 to 83% in 2006. There has been a significant reduction in gender gaps. Access for children from marginalized groups, minorities, extremely poor households, and educationally and economically lagging states has increased. "The Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan program has served as a powerful vehicle to mobilize stakeholders at all community, district, state, and national levels around the objective of ensuring that every child from 6 to 14 years is included in the education system," said Isabel Guerrero, World Bank Country Director for India. "The challenge now is to include those hardest to reach and to ensure that children get the quality education which is a critical foundation for both higher levels of education and creating the skills needed to have a significant impact on economic development."
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