Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) Scheme

India is a country where society subjects financially distressed people to be victims of discrimination in various fields. Education is one such factor that economically backward children cannot fetch.

Therefore, the government of India launched Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) to ensure that the underprivileged kids are no more left behind.

Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan is a program that provides flagship schools to attain the Universalisation of Elementary Education (UEE) within a time frame that the Indian constitution mandates. The Ministry of Human Resource Development implements the program through state governments.

The constitution amended Article 21a as a basic right giving the right to education (RTE) through the 86th amendment act in 2009. It enforces compulsory and free education of minors or children aged between 6 and 14 years. Though the program was in function from 2000 to 2001, it continued with some modifications after RTE.

The features of Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan are -

• This program was fabricated to implement Universal Elementary Education within a time frame.
• It provides basic education to all minors throughout the nation for free.
• This program helps India achieve a benchmark of equality and social justice by making basic education available to children.
• It includes the school management committees, village education committee, Panchayat Raj institution, parent-teacher association, and Tribal Autonomous Councils to effectively manage the primary schools.
• The central government partners with state governments and local governments to implement this program.

Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan has some primary objectives that help improve educational curriculum and management at the root level and strengthen the future of all students.

Following are its objectives -

• Reinforce the existing schools’ infrastructure by setting up toilets, classrooms and making drinking water available.
• Offer alternate schooling facilities to students.
• Build new educational institutions for such inhabitants which lack schooling facilities.
• Provide the school with grants for maintenance and improvement.
• Increase the number of teachers in a school and improve faculty strength.
• Provide uniforms, textbooks and quality primary education.
• Ensure education for physically disabled and socially backward children.
• Promote digital education and enhance teaching skills by providing vocational courses.

Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan initiated a sub-program known as “Padhe Bharat Badhe Bharat”, focusing on the children of classes 1 and 2. This program offers comprehensive practice of early reading, writing, and mathematics.

This program helps students who failed to avail of education at an early age to achieve excellence in literature and mathematics. It emphasises language development via exciting exercises. Additionally, it generates interest in mathematics through real-life examples.

Students aged 6 to 14 years are eligible to apply for the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan Scheme.

Here are some benefits that students can enjoy under this scheme -

• Free and compulsory elementary education ensures quality basic education to a broad spectrum of society.
• Timely supply of textbooks and school uniforms.
• Computer education to bridge the digital gap.
• Equal education and facilities to children from SC or ST, Muslim minority, and landless agricultural labourers.

In addition, teachers can also fetch some benefits under Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, such as -

• Mentoring and vocational courses for improving teaching skills.
• Appraisal system to support the teachers.

Lastly, there are some beneficial factors for the educational institutions, including -

• Improved infrastructure with additional classrooms, upscaled and hygienic toilets and drinking water supply.
• Grants for maintenance cost of the school.

The Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan program uplifts the educational status of students from all classes and improves the infrastructure of rural and distressed schools in India. This program has been helping students avail quality education without cost. Therefore, our government had successfully achieved the goal of a drastic increase in students enrolment in elementary.