Eleventh Five Year Plan

Education 91.1.47 In the liberalized global economy where thereis a pursuit for achieving excellence, the legitimate roleof private providers of quality education not only needsto be recognized, but also encouraged. Public–PrivatePartnership (PPP) need not necessarily mean onlyseeking private investments to supplement governmentalefforts, but also encouraging innovation ineducation that the government schools may lack.Schools under private management (unaided) havebeen expanding at a faster rate (Table 1.1.7). However,a vast majority of the poor, particularly in rural areas,is solely dependent on government schools.Box 1.1.2National Commission on EducationThe Kothari Commission (1964–66) was the last commissionset up on education. As regards school education,the salient features of the report, submitted in 1966,advocated, inter alia (i) improving the system in existence,(ii) setting up State Boards of Education, (iii) levelling ofinstitutions for equality, (iv) setting up area-specificneighbourhood schools, and (v) a statutory SchoolEducation Commission. While there has been progress inthe last three decades on (i) and (ii) mentioned above, thesame cannot be said of (iii), (iv), and (v).There is a need for setting up a new Education Commissionfor deliberating on the emerging perspectives on educationin the changing global context.1.1.48 The substantial step up in the Eleventh Planoutlay in the Central sector would increasingly be investedin improving quality of elementary education,recruiting additional teachers (particularly science andmathematics), seeking technology upgradation includingICT in schools, and Technical Assistance (TA)including the educationally fragile States. The issueof poor performing schools would be addressed bygrading schools through a composite index and byproviding TA.1.1.49 It has been found that students who often donot perform well in conventional subject examinationsdemonstrate high success levels in the use of InformationTechnology (IT) and IT-enabled learning. IT couldprovide new directions in pedagogical practices andstudents’ achievement. The idea is not merely makingchildren computer literate but also initiating web-basedlearning through modern software facilities.1.1.50 Keeping the above in view, the followingtargets have been set for elementary education in theEleventh Plan.Eleventh Plan Targets forElementary Education• Universal enrolment of 6–14 age group childrenincluding the hard to reach segment.• Substantial improvement in quality and standardswith the ultimate objective to achieve standards ofKendriya Vidyalayas (KVs) under the Central Boardof Secondary Education (CBSE) pattern.• All gender, social, and regional gaps in enrolmentsto be eliminated by 2011–12.• One year pre-school education (PSE) for childrenentering primary school.• Dropout at primary level to be eliminated and thedropout rate at the elementary level to be reducedfrom over 50% to 20% by 2011–12.• Universalized MDMS at elementary level by2008–09.• Universal coverage of ICT at UPS by 2011–12.• Significant improvement in learning conditionswith emphasis on learning basic skills, verbal andquantitative.• All EGS centres to be converted into regular primaryschools.• All States/UTs to adopt NCERT Quality MonitoringTools.• Strengthened BRCs/CRCs: 1 CRC for every 10schools and 5 resource teachers per block.Quality Improvement in SSA1.1.51 In the Eleventh Plan, the quality of educationimparted in the primary and UPS would be improvedthrough a range of coherent, integrated, andcomprehensive strategies with clearly defined goalsthat help in measuring progress. These include thefollowing:• Restructure SSA with a clear goal of providing aquality of education equivalent to that of KVs underthe CBSE pattern.• Ensure basic learning conditions in all schools andacquisition of basic skills of literacy and numeracyin early primary grades to lay a strong foundationfor higher classes.