INTRODUCTION

1.1 Towards a Rights-based Framework The role of Universal Elementary Education (UEE) for strengthening the social fabric of democracy through provision of equal opportunities to all has been accepted since the inception of our Republic. The original Article 45 in the Directive Principles of State Policy in the Constitution mandated the State to endeavour to provide free and compulsory education to all children up to age fourteen in a period of ten years. The National Policy on Education (NPE)...

All Children In School

2.1 Background Universal access to elementaryeducation requires schooling facilities within reasonable reach of all children. If schools are not located in or near the habitations where children reside, children are unlikely to complete schooling, even if they are formally enrolled in schools. The RTE Act provides children’s access to elementary schools within the defined area or limits of neighbourhood Read More --> 2.2 Mapping to Facilitate Children’s Access in Neighbourhoo...

Addressing Equity Issues in Elementary Education

Context Bridging gender and social category gaps in elementary education is one of the four goals of SSA. Consequently, SSA attempts to reach out to girls and children belonging to SC, ST and Muslim Minority communities. SSA has also given attention to urban deprived children, children affected by periodic migration, and children living in remote and scattered habitations. Read More --> RTE, Equity and Social Inclusion The RTE Act, 2009 has defined children belonging to disadvanta...

Elementary Education of Equitable Quality

Vision of a Classroom “My vision is of an active classroom, where students do not merely sit passively taking notes or listening to lectures. My vision is of a classroom with a buzz of activity. Children are working and involved, alone or in teams, some supported by peers and some supported by the teacher. The classroom is full of colour. It is open and inviting, the atmosphere is charged with energy and enthusiasm; children can be heard laughing, discussing, debating and arguing.” Read more--...

Participation and Role of Community and Civil Society

Background It would be impossible for RTE as well as SSA to succeed without people’s support and ownership. The RTE mandate for age-appropriate admission of every out-of-schoolchild, special training for each child to enable her to cope in school, promoting child-friendly child centered and activity based learning processes, which is free of anxiety, trauma and fear sets the agenda for proactive community participation. Read more--> Role of Civil Society Organisations and the Nat...

School Infrastructure Development

Introduction SSA aims to universalise access toelementary education in accordance with the vision of the RTE Act. Quality of the school building and availability of basic facilities therein is an important determiner of school access. The built environment of the school has to be inviting, attractive and comfortable to the child, so that the child is motivated to enrol in and attend school regularly. Read more--> Whole School Development Development of school infr...

Management and Monitoring

Management In every state of our country there are age-old systems for administration of elementary education. Over the years, SSA has superimposedonthesesystemsamanagement structure which has more or less satisfactorily met the needs of the project. In most states the extant administrative system and the one created for implementation of SSA have endured side by side. Read more--> Harmonization of the Departmental and SSA Structures at the National Level The SSA is governed...

Protection of Child Rights through Grievance Redressal and Monitoring

Introduction The RTE which came into effect in April 2010 mandates that the implementation of the rights enshrined in this Act be monitored by the NCPCR and the corresponding SCPCRs [Section 31]. This is radical new feature and sets a precedent in the legislative history of India, wherein an autonomous neutral body has been charged with monitoring the implementation of a fundamental right. It presents a great opportunity to institute a system of independent monitoring that ensures that the en...

Planning, Appraisal and Fund Flow Mechanisms

Planning and Development of Comprehensive Work Plans Approach: The previous chapters, particularly those pertaining to Access, Equity, Quality and Participation in the context of RTE Act, adequately bring out the challenges in planning for UEE. The biggest challenge is to have an integrated approach to synthesise and integrate the wide variety of Read more--> Community Based Planning Process SSA envisages decentralised, need based and participatory planning in a bottom - up ap...

RTE Road Map

1.5.1 The RTE provides a legally enforceablerights framework with certain unambiguous time targets that Governments must adhere to. For example, the Act mandates that every child in the six to fourteen age group shall have a right to free and compulsory education in a neighbourhood school. The Act also provides that if a school does not exist in an area or limit prescribed as the neighbourhood, the appropriate Government and the localauthority shall establish a school in this area within a period of three years. Therefore, all children -girls and boys -children from disadvantaged groups and economically weaker sections, children with special needs, children involved in child labour and so on, must be in a school within three years time starting from 1 April 2010. This provision in the RTE Act is applicable to the SSA goals on access and universalisation of elementary education. The following timeframes, mandated by the RTE Act, become immediately applicable to SSA:

Actiity	Time Frame
Establishment of neighbourhood schools	3 years (by 31^st March, 2013)
Provision of school infrastructure All weather school buildings One-classroom-one-teacher Office cum - store - cum - Head teacher room Toilets and drinking water facilities Barrier free access Library Playground Fencing/boundary walls	3 years (by 31^st March, 2013)
Provision of teachers as per prescribed PTR	3 years (by 31^st March, 2013)
Training of untrained teachers	5 years (by 31^st March 2015)
All quality interventions and other provisions	With immediate effect

INTRODUCTION

All Children In School

Addressing Equity Issues in Elementary Education

Elementary Education of Equitable Quality

Participation and Role of Community and Civil Society

School Infrastructure Development

Management and Monitoring

Protection of Child Rights through Grievance Redressal and Monitoring

Planning, Appraisal and Fund Flow Mechanisms

RTE Road Map

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