Source: Press Information Bureau
Integrated Scheme for School Education-Samagra Shiksha
Samagra Shiksha is an overarching programme for the school education sector extending from pre-school to class 12. The scheme has been prepared with the broader goal of improving school effectiveness measured in terms of equal opportunities for schooling and equitable learning outcomes. It subsumes the three Schemes of Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA), Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA) and Teacher Education (TE) (from April 2018).
Objectives
- Provision of quality education and enhancing learning outcomes of students;
- Bridging Social and Gender Gaps in School Education;
- Ensuring equity and inclusion at all levels of school education;
- Ensuring minimum standards in schooling provisions;
- Promoting Vocationalisation of education;
- Support States in implementation of Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009; and
- Strengthening and up-gradation of SCERTs/State Institutes of Education and DIET as a nodal agencies for teacher training.
Key features of the scheme
The new integrated scheme envisages school education as a continuum from pre-school to senior secondary level and aims to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education at all levels. Following are the key features of the scheme;
- Sports and Physical Education component: The scheme includes the Sports and Physical Education component (which includes the encouragement of Sports, Physical activities, Yoga, Co-curricular activities) under which provision for grants for sports equipment for indoor and outdoor games in all government schools has been made.
- Enhanced Funding for Education: It mentions enhanced budget allocation and it also mentions learning outcomes and steps taken for quality improvement will be the basis for allocation of grants under the Scheme
- Focus on Digital Education
- Support ‘Operation Digital Board’ in all secondary schools over a period of 5 years, which will revolutionize education- easy to understand, technology based learning classrooms will become flipped classrooms.
- Enhanced use of digital technology in education through smart classrooms, digital boards and DTH channels
- Digital initiatives like Shala Kosh, Shagun, Shaala Saarthi to be strengthened
- “DIKSHA”, digital portal for teachers to be used extensively for upgrading skills of teachers
- Strengthening of Schools: It lays emphasis on consolidation of schools for improvement of quality and Enhanced Transport facility to children across all classes from I to VIII for universal access to school
- Focus on Girl Education: It mentions about Self-defence training for girls from upper primary to higher secondary stage
- Focus on Inclusion: Allocation for Uniforms, textbooks and allocation for children with special has been enhanced.
- Focus on Skill Development: Exposure to vocational Skills at upper Primary level would be extended. It also mentions about the Strengthening of vocational education at the secondary level.
Focus on Regional Balance: Under the scheme the States and UTs have been advised to encourage schools to include traditional/regional games of the respective State/Region
