In a presentation made by the Ministry of Human Resource Development of India to the Consultative Committee of Parliament, the key objectives of expansion of secondary education in the country were outlined to be availability and access to every child within 5 kms. for secondary schools and within 7-10 kms. for higher secondary schools, and improvement of quality. The Consultative Committee meeting was chaired by Human Resource Development Minister Shri Arjun Singh who expressed the hope that perceptible change may be noticed on these attainable targets in the 3rd year of the Plan. He also said that vocationalization of secondary education will also be taken up on a massive scale.
It was also mentioned in the meeting that universalisation of access to secondary education will be ensured by the end of the 11th Plan. It will include strengthening of existing schools to achieve prescribed norms; expansion of capacity of existing schools; upgradation of higher primary schools to secondary level; expansion of facilities for open distance learning and stepping up allocation to secondary education from 0.9% of GDP to 1.5% of GDP.
Expansion of secondary education will also involve upgradation of physical infrastructure (class rooms, playgrounds, library, science lab, computer lab, toilet, drinking water, electricity, telephone etc.), recruitment and training of teachers and extensive use of ICT. This will also include incentives to girls and weaker sections including SCs/STs/Minorities, curriculum revision, examination reforms and monitoring & supervision.
The members of the Consultative Committee offered several suggestions. The main suggestions being special efforts to reduce drop-out specially for girls, creation of social and parental awareness, accessible and affordable education; emphasis on moral and value education & yoga; in service training for teaching staff; hostel facilities for girls to reduce the drop out; development of the Public Private Partnership, improvement of infrastructure in existing schools, and systemic reforms in the educational system.
The members were apprised that as a follow up of Prime Minister’s Independence Day announcement, 6000 new high quality schools will be opened at the rate of one school per block. Out of these, 2500 schools will be in Public Private Partnership (PPP) model. Another component of the expansion of secondary education is a proposal for establishment of one girls’ hostel of capacity 100 in each Educationally Backward Block (EBB). The members were also informed that one lakh Merit-cum-Means scholarships of Rs. 6000 per annum would be awarded each year from class IX to class XII.
The meeting was attended by the Minister of State for Human Resource Development Smt. D. Purandeswari and Members of Parliament: Shri Babulal Marandi, Shri D. Raja, Shri Harisinh Chavda, Shri Haribhau Jawale, Smt. Kanimozhi, Dr. K. Kasturirangan, Prof. P. J. Kurien, Shri Ramesh Dube, Shri Raashid Alvi ,Dr. Vallabhbhai Kathiria & Shri Vijay Krishna.
Source: http://pib.nic.in/release/release.asp?relid=35392
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