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d u c a t i o n
(District Primary Education Programme)
A Project for perspective District Elementary Education plan i.e. DEEP (2001–10 ) for Universalisation of Elementary Education has been submitted to Govt. of India for necessary approval. DEEP with cover both primary education and upper primary education components of UEE in the context of SSA objective delineated by Govt of India. The unachieved targets of perspective DPEP plan with have to be merged into the perspective DEEP of the district to be formulated for the period 2001–10.
MAJOR INTERVENTIONS
The problems / issues with regard to Access, Enrollment, Retention and imparting quality education can be minimized by providing interventions through SSA namely Civil works, Community mobilization, Alternative schooling, ECCE, Girls Education, IED, issues relating to teachers, special drives for SFGs and capacity building of Institutions, etc. Details of the following interventions are discussed...
Civil Works
Universal Access, Enrolment, Retention and Quality Education can be achieved only by the help of proper infrastructural support. The following activities are to be carried out during the project period. The Budget provision of DPEP in the year 2001–02 was 408.0075 lakhs.
Activities
Civil works activities to be done by SSA Fund
1. Construction of 20 New upper primary school buildings (New setup)
2. Construction of Addl. Classrooms in existing 578 Upper Primary Schools.
3. Construction of 100 no of CRCs.
4. Repairing of existing primary schools – 1204
5. Repairing of existing upper primary schools – 171
6. Construction of 164 primary schools (NSB)
7. 171 No of HT Room
8. 75 No of 3 ACR upper Primary Schools
9. 75 No of 2 ACR Primary School
Civil work activities to be carried out by different schemes through convergence
1. Construction of 499 tube-wells in existing primary schools
2. Construction of 100 tube-wells in existing upper primary schools
3.Construction of sanitation facilities in 124 primary schools
4.Construction of sanitation facilities in 171 upper primary schools
The different schemes for convergence functionaries in the district are:-
a. PMGY
b. 11th Finance Commision
c. BADP
d. MPLADS
Pedagogical Intervention
This intervention is divided into two parts – one for primary education and the other for UPE components. SSA has a structured arrangement for undertaking pedagogical renewal exercise involving DRG's at the district level with CLRC's at the circle level. These exercise includes, providing necessary inputs developed through workshops, interactions, brain storming, attachment to primary school, field visits, exposure visits by concerned agency or authority for teaching-learning process renewal, textbook renewal, curriculum-teachers training, CLRC training and development, teachers' guides, etc. All these activities are undertaken under the guidance of WBBPE.
CLRC, the cutting edge of Pedagogical renewal exercise is supposed to be directly involved with training and training follow-ups, academic support to teachers, monthly meeting of primary school teachers, preparing new kind of lessons and trying them out in schools, publishing newsletters for sharing experience, developing materials for conceptual clarity on various issues and writing concepts notes, etc.
Training of teachers on different aspects of primary education on a regular basis for their capacity building is a very crucial intervention of SSA. The training planned for primary school teachers covers the areas of teaching–learning process, Multi-grade teaching, Preparation and use of teaching learning materials (TLM), IED, Gender Issues, School Management, etc.
Community Mobilization
Community mobilization is an important functional area of SSA. Most of the problems identified so far in terms of Access, Enrollment, Retention and Quality Education can be greatly minimized by ensuring effective participation of the community.
This is very unfortunate that community still believes that the expansion of Primary education is the business of Govt. and the teachers and community has no role to play in the matter. Through, DPEP has sensitised the community and teachers through various types of Training and programmes, it is yet to get priority in the principal activities of Panchayat. However, in the present scenario of primary and upper primary educations, the role of community has become vital and inseparable.
DPEP has already emphasized on community Mobilisation in the District. Now SSA has emphasized on community mobilization as a mean to generate awareness amongst the community for expansion and improvement of the conditions of Primary Education and Upper Primary Education and set the following objectives:
1. Creating awareness amongst parents for access, enrolment, and quality education.
2. Sensitizing Community on SSA to establish demand for primary education and upper primary education.
3. Ensuring opportunities to community for increasing demand for primary education and upper primary education.
4. Motivating communities for creating VECs and WECs, which will function as a strong base for education.
5. Motivating parents, teachers and the community as a whole to pay special attention to girl child.
6. Emphasising on special groups like SC, ST, Minorities, Street Children, Child labour, etc. for universal enrolment of children.
7. Creating awareness campaign amongst VEC, DRG members.
Alternative Schooling
There are several habitations in the District which are still out of the coverage of formal primary education. There may be many such areas where formal primary school cannot be set up as per Govt. norms. Such areas are supposed to be provided with Alternative schools. In addition to this alternative schools are also required for those categories of children for whom participating in formal schools may not be possible for various reasons.
According to house-to-house survey undertaken in this district, there are 62 unserved habitations which qualify for having formal primary schools. But there are 250 unserved habitations where the population ranges between 100 to 299 and these habitations are beyond 1.5 km from existing primary schools. These unserved habitations will be covered by 250 Alternative schools with a view to bringing the children under the fold of primary schools. There are another 306 habitations having population below 100 where also alternative schools will be established.
Alternative schooling system operates its activities under Alternative Schooling sector with the SSK of the Govt in the P and RD department. Pedagogical training to the SSS of SSK on teaching learning method, development and use of TLM, handling large size classroom to multi-grade teachings, etc., Orientation / Training / Sensitization of functionaries of management committees of SSK, VEC members, Panchayat functionaries, providing regular academic support to the SSKs, and Shishu Shiksha Sahayika through CLRCs, providing school grant to SSK and TLM grant to SS.
Girls Education
Ensuring equal opportunity for both boys and girls is not adequate enough. The question of 'Gender equity' often demands additional support and facility for ensuring girls education equivalent to others. A girls doing poorly, probably needs special attention in class, and perhaps even in family and community, while an intelligent girl may demand for attention that teacher should show towards every student in class. The teacher may also have to look into the facilities, she is allowed in her family to increase the rate of improvement.
In school: To enroll girls, arrest the rate drop-outs and reduce gender, improve quality of education.
Out-of-school: To enroll girls & arrest the rate of drop-outs to treat every child as equal, encourage community to pay special attention to girls.
E C C E
Early childhood Care Education is an important functional area of SSA. A strong intervention in this sector ensure provision of a launching pad for enrolling young children in the Primary Schools. It is meant for providing education to children of age group 3-5 years. This programme is supposed to make the child develop a school going habit, so as to ensure continuance in formal primary schools on attaining the appropriate age of 5 years. ECE also prepares the child for taking up the learning process from class I with speed and quality. This programme also ensures reduction of under-age enrollment in Primary Schools, avoiding overcrowding in class-I. ECE will continue to be arranged through the Pre-Schooling Component of ICDS Programme of Social Welfare Department. SSA will provide the necessary intervention for strengthening the pre-schooling component, through academic and Pedagogical inputs. This would include training and orientation of Anganwadi workers and helpers, training and orientation of the Supervisory Staff of ICDS , sensitization / orientation of Panchayat and VEC functionaries, teaching/learning materials and resources support to Anganwadi Centres, organising mass-mobilization and awareness-generation Campaigns, etc.
Children with special need (IED)
Children with mild and moderate disability are generally integratable in the formal schools with a little assistance and providing a conducive environment. The component of IED under SSA envisages intervention to:
1. Identify the children (in-school and out of schools) with visual, hearing, loco-motor impairment, learning disabilities and mental retardation and bring them to the Primary School, after giving them the required assistance through a school readiness programme including providing them with special aid / assistance for their education.
2. Create a conducive environment for children with special needs in Primary Schools and in society at large.
3. Sensitize & orient concerned people at all levels especially parents and school teachers on intergrated education of impaired & disabled children.
4. Ensure Convergence of the available resources for furtherance of the objectives of IED.
5. Provide possible interventions in the areas of early detection of disability, parent counselling, screening, Pre-schooling of children with special needs, etc.
As a starter, IED has been taken up in Gangarampur Dev. Block in this District. Gradually its coverage is planned to be extended to the entire district within the SSA Project Period.
Innovation
Innovative work is necessary for any activity or programme. Innovation is adoption of new ideas in Project. Without innovation no Project can survive for a long period. It gives a new direction to achieve the Project objectives. Innovative Programme will build up capacity at all levels of this district. In the first year following innovative work were taken up:
i.Training Programme of all DPEP Personel and all SIs in the district.
ii.Awareness-generation at all level through workshop and meeting at district level.
But in the first year of SSA the following innovations will be undertaken.
i.Training to operate computers to all SIs , AIs, SSA Personel.
ii.Training Programme of all SSA Personel & SIs in this district.
iii.Awareness-Generation at all level through workshop and meeting at District Level.
Planning, Research, Monitoring & MIS
(Management Information System)
Planning :- It is important to make the plan realistic and need-based for improvement of the existing educational system. A good Planning depends upon good Management structure and a strong Management can only depend upon good planning. This fact has been kept in mind while preparing the Annual WorkPlan and Budget under SSA.
Planning is done by District Planning team at District level. Planning takes help from CLRC Level. The Planning team is consist of the following :
i. Amalendu Sarker, AIs (SE)
ii. Alok Ranjan Das , AIs, DPSC, DD
iii. Dhirendranath Kundu
The Planning team prepares the Perspective Plan and AWPandB of SSA.The Planning team plans various activities which include different major intervention area such as Civil work, Pedagogy, AS, Girls' education, IED, ECCE, etc.
The District Planning team takes such considerations into account while Planning, like cost, setting of targets and also the rational capacity building through interventions in different areas, cost of refreshments, lunches, vehicles, contingencies, etc.
A Co-ordinator is required for preparation of perspective Plan of SSA.
The Planning process depends on 3 components
i. Micro planning
ii. Convergence Planning
iii. Planning for capacity building.
This year the planning team could not proceed for microplanning for want of sufficient infrastructure. Microplanning will be start from 2nd year of SSA.
Convergence Planning
Convergence Planning is a reality based concept of planning, which tries to establish linkage with Govt. and non Govt. organizations imparting education into a holistic planning with the aim to provide district educational service.
Some of the convergence being made are with ICDS, ECCE, Civil works with various schemes of Govt. like BADP, MPLADs, etc, SSK for AS NGO's
Management Information System (MIS)
SSA has elaborate plan of computerization for developing a suitable management information system, which will take care of all the information needs at the circle level and District level. Computer network between the two levels for sharing information is also in the process.
MIS working on softwares called DISE and PMIS (Project Management Information System) have been developed and since been shared with district. PMIS Software is used by SSA to assess the physical progress of the activities and expenditure incurred against the approved budget at different levels of project Management, whereas DISE Software is used for various education-related information.
An innovation programme on MIS is planned to be undertaken through computerisation of CLRC in which of the existing district under DPEP, Vertical linkage between DPO and CLRCs and horizontal linkage between DPO and DPSC.