R.GovindaR.GovindaNational Institute of National Institute of Educational Planning Educational Planning and Administrationand Administration

EFA in India: EFA in India: Developments Since Developments Since

DakarDakarEvolving Strategies and Evolving Strategies and Emerging ChallengesEmerging Challenges

Third Meeting of the Working Group on Third Meeting of the Working Group on EFAEFA

UNESCO, ParisUNESCO, Paris(22-23 July 2002)(22-23 July 2002)

EFA in India: EFA in India: Developments Since Developments Since

DakarDakarEvolving Strategies and Evolving Strategies and Emerging ChallengesEmerging Challenges

Third Meeting of the Working Group on Third Meeting of the Working Group on EFAEFA

UNESCO, ParisUNESCO, Paris(22-23 July 2002)(22-23 July 2002)

Policy Initiatives Elementary Education as

Fundamental Right• Constitutional Amendment passed

by the Parliament• A Central Legislation to enforce this

Right under the anvil • Delineation of responsibility of

various State organs - Central Govt, State Governments and local bodies– Setting the parameters of acceptable

quality of education– Providing for remedial mechanism for

redressal when the Right is violated

Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan

• Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) - A National Programme for Universalization of Elementary Education launched in 2001

• Goals of SSA:– All children in school, by 2003– 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– Bridge all gender and social category

gaps– Universal retention by 2010

• Implementation in Mission Mode; headed by the Prime Minister and State Chief Ministers

Interventions for

EFA • A number of interventions by the

Government are targeting the individual Dakar EFA goals

• Integrated Child Development Services scheme being universalized - Early childhood Care and Education an important component of the scheme (Dakar Goal 1)– US$ 3.3 billion estimated

requirement for 2002-2007

Interventions for

EFA • Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan

(Movement for Education for All) launched with the aim of providing eight years of qualityquality education to all children in age-group 6-14 by 2010. – Total estimated cost - US$ 20 billion

(Goals 2 and 6)• A comprehensive plan for

adolescents, specially girls, in the Tenth Five Year Plan (Goal 3)

Interventions for EFA• National Literacy Mission to provide

functional literacy to all illiterate adults in the age-group 15-35. (Goals 3 & 4)– Achieve sustainable threshold level of 75%

literacy by 2005 - US$ 1.3 billion estimated requirement for 5 years

• Special schemes targeted at girls, apart from focus on girls in general schemes. (Goal No. 5)– Removal of all disparities, including

gender, in primary (class I-V) by 2007 and elementary (I-VIII) by 2010.

Status of Plan Preparation

• A Core Group under Secretary, Central Govt formed to facilitate planning and implementation & NIEPA designated as nodal agency

• First Draft Action Plan prepared before Kathmandu summit in April 2001

• Four Regional consultations with State Governments and Civil society

• Similar core groups in States under Chief Secretaries

Next Step• State Action Plans to be ready by

August end – Guidelines Provided• Second draft action plan

incorporating the State perspective to be ready by September

• Consultation on the Draft Plan with States, NGOs, Research Institutions, Professionals planned in September-October.

• EFA National Action Plan to be ready before year end.

Meeting EFA GoalsMeeting EFA GoalsLooking Ahead Looking Ahead Strategies and Strategies and

ChallengesChallenges

Need for Critical Need for Critical ChoicesChoices

Meeting EFA GoalsMeeting EFA GoalsLooking Ahead Looking Ahead Strategies and Strategies and

ChallengesChallenges

Need for Critical Need for Critical ChoicesChoices

Prospects for EFA: Some Positive Factors

• Changing Demographic Profile– Absolute number of illiterates declines for the first

time in 2001– In many states the cohort entering primary school

begins to shrink

• Increased Public Awareness on the value of EFA– Emergence of NAFFRE – a National Platform for

Advocacy

• Reasonably consistent economic growth– Ability to mobilize additional allocations for EFA from

domestic budget

• Emergence of a pool of Expertise on Basic Education in recent years

Strategies that have brought more Children to

School• Modifying the traditional distance

norm for creating school facilities– recognizing social and cultural barriers

• Orchestrating Local Demand for Schooling– Village Education Committees– Mother Teacher Associations– Formation of Core Teams and Women

Groups

School Mapping and Micro-Planning

Strategies that have brought more Children to

School• More Open and Pluralist Framework

of Delivering Basic Education has increased the participation level

• CHALLENGE: Avoid Creation of a hierarchy of access and Discriminatory Provisions based on Socio-economic and Gender lines

• This is essential for aligning Basic Education Strategies with Poverty Alleviation goals

Challenges that Remain: Need to make Critical

ChoicesTackling Inter-state Disparity • Around 75% out of school children are in

5 States of India • Challenge: Focus on these States -

Move away from pan-Indian programmes to state specific programmes

• Replace them with more locally designed, state government initiated activities

Challenges that Remain: Need to make Critical

ChoicesPre-School Education • But for some small effort in the private

self-financing sector and minor focus in the existing Child Care programmes, this is non-existent

• Girl children are doubly affected by slow progress on this front

• It is essential that the Education Department comes up with a policy perspective on pre-school education and its provision through public and private delivery mechanisms

Challenges that Remain: Need to make Critical

Choices

Literacy Campaign • Tremendous impact initially on Building

Education Awareness and bringing Women Empowerment issues to centre stage

• But, India still has the largest number of illiterates

• Challenge: Halting the Intergenerational spiral: Focus on out-of-school youth and adolescents

• Reestablish public faith in literacy activities– Focus on life-skills and functional literacy– Link with economic life of the poor is critical– Combine with micro-credit facilities– Field-based community networks are extremely

useful

Challenges that Remain: Need to make Critical

Choices

Improving Quality • Creation of decentralized support

structures have gone a long way in improving teacher capability

• Challenge: – Increased focus on school functioning in a

wholistic manner– Imparting more contextualized skills to

teacher instead of generic pedagogy– Improving subject mastery of the teachers – Focus on actual learning time and learning

outcomes

Challenges that Remain: Need to make Critical

Choices

Financing of Basic Education • Increased investment is critical

– but spend strategically focusing on the poor and underserved areas - not on systemwide generic programmes

• Mobilizing External Resources for Basic Education– Current level is insignificant– Lack of clarity on the issue at policy level

Challenges that Remain: Need to make Critical

Choices

Financing of Basic Education • Effective Utilisation of finances is

equally a challenging task• Need for building professional

capability among Senior and Middle level managers in State Education Departments

• Professionalisation of the education policy making and management set up

Challenges that Remain: Need to make Critical

Choices

Building Partnership with Civil Society • Significant involvement at the field

level – decentralized governance (Panchayati Raj) and creation of bodies such as Village Education Committees and School Managing Committees

• Challenge: Yet, role in critical decision making processes is lacking – Indian Democracy has the potential to provide more space for direct participation of people in education management

Challenges that Remain: Need to make Critical

ChoicesEFA Advocacy and Political Mobilization • Commitment of the political Leadership at the

formal level is quite visible – Acceptance of Basic Education as Fundamental Right

• Challenge: But, Basic Education is still not on the top of the Political Agenda of the country

• External financing is not likely to be an effective instrument for this.

• International community could help strengthen the voice of the civil society as well as the professional capability to mould the public opinion

• Build people-to-people contact and professional networking across north and south