SARVA SIIlKSHA ABHIYAN IN HIMACHAL

PRADESH-A CASE STUDY

MAMTA MOKTA AND MANJULA SHARMA

Educational system of a country is i1~fiuenced by forceful

factors. such as, political, economic etc. It is not always
possible to draw a positive correlation between the type <~f
political system and educational administration. Taking into
account the importance of Elementary education the
Government of Himachal Pradesh has made concerted
efforts for achieving the goals of Universalisation of
Elementary Education. In this direction, Sarva Shiksha
Abhiyan (SSA) is a major initiative for the delivery of the
fundamental right of every child in the age group of six
and 14 years to have free and compulsory education of
satisfactory quality. SSA is being implemented in the entire
12 districts of the Pradesh There is a well set machinery to
impart education to the children both at Centre and state
level. But even after 60 years of Independence even the
humble goal of universal enrollment has not been
achieved.Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan was launched in
Himachal Pradesh in 2001-02 as a programme to
supplement the efforts of DPEP in the Pradesh. Present
article attempts to discuss the present status of SSA in
Himachal Pradesh and gives recommendations to improve
its effecti1•e11ess in the state.

INTRODUCTION

EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM of a country is influenced by forceful factors,

such as, political, economic etc. It is not always possible to draw a positive
correlation between the type of political system and educational
administration 1.The framers of the Constitution visualised that children upto

1T S Sodhi. "Comparative Education." Vikas publishing house PVT LTD.New Delhi,p.20.

1998.
696 I INDIAN JOURNAL OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION
VOL. LVI. NO. 3. JULY-SEPTEMBER 2010

the age of 14 should be covered under free and compulsory education

within a period of IO years. i.e. by the yearl 9612.After Independence, the
concerns of education articulated during the freedom struggle were revisited
by the National Commissions-the Secondary Education Commission ( 1952-
53) and the Education Commission ( 1964-66). Both Commissions elaborated
on the themes emerging out of Mahatma Gandhi's educational philosophy
in the changed socio-political context with a focus on national development. 3
Stress in the new policy on making the education system work is a
welcome idea. This policy has inter alia stated that "The country has placed
boundless trust in the educational system. The people have a right to expect
concrete results. The first task is to make it work. All teachers should
teach and all students study". This is a highly desirable ideal indeed. 4
Education is an activity which is concerned both with the individual and
with society or rather with the individual-in-society. 5 For building up a new
generation of men and women. committed to the process of modernisation,
an appropriate training and motivation of the individuals is imperative. All
this is possible through the medium of sound system of education, which is
a dynamic change force, never compromising with the status quo of the
traditional thinking and doing, attitudes and habits 6 . Education is
empowerment. It is the key to establish and reinforce democracy, to
development which is both sustainable and humane and to peace, founded
upon mutual respect and social justice. Aware of the power and potential of
education. the international community committed itself at the World
Conference on Education for All.7
Present World Scenario
During the past few decades, a spirit of change and innovation pervades
educational activities in many parts of the world. 8 Education for All (EFA) is
an international commitment first launched in Jomtien. Thailand in 1990 to
bring the benefits of education to "every citizen in every society." Partners

2National Policy on Education. Programme of Action. Government of India, MHRD,

Department of Education. New Delhi. p.9. 1986.
3 National Curriculum Framework, NCERT Publication. New Delhi, p.3, 2005.
4 PD.Shukla. "The New Education Policy in India", Sterling Publishers Private Limited,

New Delhi. p.126. 1996.

5 K.G. Saiyidain. "Problems of Educational Reconstruction", Doaba House, Delhi, p.5,
1997.
6 Y.R.Taneja. "Educational Thought and Practice" Sterling Publishers Private Ltd., New
Delhi. p.3.B. 1997.
7 Digumarti Bhaskar Rao. "Education for the 21" century", Discovery Publishing House,

p.274. 1997.
8 S.K.Kochhar. "Methods and Techniques of Teaching" Sterling Publishers Private
Limited.New Delhi. p. 11 . 2003.
 SARVA SHIKSHA ABHIYAN IN H!MACHAL PRADESH-A CASE STUDY 697
MAMTA MOKTA AND MANJULA SHARMA

comprised a broad coalition of national governments, civil society groups,

and development agencies such as UNESCO and the World Bank. In
response to slow progress over the decade, the commitment was reaffirmed
in Dakar, Senegal in April 2000 and then again in September 2000. when
189 countries and their partners adopted two of the EFA goals among the
eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). 9 Debates about the needs
and demands for reform in all areas of education have become more and
more internationalised 10 •
National Status
The Indian education system is the second largest in the world and is
perhaps the most complex in terms of its spatial outreach and profile of
students and teachers in terms of their linguistic, social. cultural and economic
background. Implementing educational reforms in such diversified system
is fraught with challenges of unprecedented nature. 11
Right from Independence. India has presevered with the goal of
universalisation of Elementary Education. even though substantial progress
has been achieved, the goal still remains elusive. 12 The Constitution of free
India increasingly recognised the vital role of education in multifaceted
national development-political, social, cultural and economic. Article 45
provides "free and compulsory education for all children until they complete
the age of 14 years. 13 One of the Directive Principles of State Policy
enunciated in the Constitution relates to providing free and compulsory
education for all children in the country upto the age of 14 within a period
of 10 years from the date of commencement of the Constitution. i.e. by
1960. Unfortunately, even after half a century since the Constitution came
into force we have not been able to achieve the target.The nation is in
hurry. and rightly so. to catch up with the advanced countries with regard to
educational advancement leading to industrial development and improvement
in quality oflife 14 .There are. no doubt. governmental initiatives like Operation
Black Board, Lok Jumbi sh Programme, District Primary Education

"Global Monitoring report, published by UNESCO, p. I. 2007.

' 0 Radhika Chopra and Patricia Jeffery, "Educational Regimes in Contempora ry India'"

Sage Publications. New Delhi. p.9 . 2005.

11 Yash Aggarwal. "Progress Towards Universal Access and Retention- Analytical Report ..

Published by Ed.Ci! India Ltd., New Delhi, p. l, 200 I.

"Annual Report (2003-04) Himachal Pradesh Primary Education Society-cu!TI Sana
Shiksha Abhiyan. State Mission Authority. Shimla-1. p 11.
13 Social Foundation of Education. International Centre for Distance Education & Open

Learning. Shimla. p.56, 2006.

14 G.L Arora. "Child Centered Education for Lcarn111 g Without Burden". Krishna
Publishing Company, Haryana. p.11. 1995.
698 I INDIAN JOURNAL OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION
VOL. LVI. NO. 3, JULY-SEPTEMBER 2010

Programme (DPEP) and Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) that have done a
great job by improving the literacy rate to 65.38% from 5 l.11 in 1991 (as
per census 2001) 15 Number of programmes indigenous and foreign funded
have been implemented in India and also in Himachal Pradesh to improve
the educational indicators. To cite a few Unicef Science improvement
programme, Special Orientation of Primary Teachers (SOPT) and
Programme for Mass Orientation of School Teachers (PMOST) were
implemented in the state with different objectives right from 1962 to 1997.
These programmes started at state levels to improve the fate of primary
education but resulted in negligible change. In order to speed up the process
and gain momentum in achieving goals of Universalisation of Elementary
Education (UEE) Government oflndia launched District Primary Education
Programme (DPEP) during 1994. 16 The programme was launched in 1996
in Himachal Pradesh. DPEP has demonstrated the success of decentralised
planning and management of primary education with the emphasis on
participatory process for demand management, pedagogical reforms and
involvement of community and stakeholders in decision making. The strategy
of planning and management of education in DPEP has been adopted to
achieve the goal of Universalisation of Elementary Education (UEE) under
SSA. 17
Sar\'a Sliiksha Abhiyan
The Government of India initiated in 2002 a programme for universalising
elementary education or Education for All- Sarva Slziksha Abhiyan (SSA).
How the SSA would be funded and more importantly, how cost effectively
existing resources were to be utilised to achieve its goals of Universal
Primary Education (UPE) by 2007 and Universal Elementary Education by
2010- the answer to these question will determine whether the rhetoric of
UEE will he matched by reality or not. 18
The major goals emphasise access, equity, relevance and excellence
as the main attributes of quality education at elementary stage. 14 Sarva
Shiksha Abhiyan is an effort to universalise elementary education by

' 5 EDU TRACKS- A monthly scanner of trends in Education, Neelkamal Publications

Pvt.Ltd .. New Delh. p.17. March 2008.

16Training programme in Early Childhood Care and Education for State Level Key

Functionaries. Published hy NCERT, New Delhi. p. l , 1998.

17 Annual Report ( 2001-2002) published by Himachal Pradesh Primary Education Society

- cum-Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, State Mission Authority Shimla-1.p.8.

18 Santosh Mehrotra. "'The Economics of Elementary Education in India", Sage

Publications. New Delhi, p.26. 2006.

' 9Innovative Monitoring Strategies for Quality Elementary education-A Report (2007).
published by DEP(SSA) IGNOU. New Delhi. p. l .
 SARVA SHIKSHA ABHIYAN IN HIMACHAL PRADESH-A CASE STUDY 699
MAMTA MOKTA AND MANJULA SHARMA

community ownership of the school system. It is a response to the demand

for quality basic education all over the country. The SSA programme is also
an attempt to provide an opportunity for improving human capabilities to all
children, through provision of community- owned quality education in a
mission mode.
Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan is a holistic and convergent programme targeting
primary and upper primary education with the main focus on providing
basic quality education within a clear time frame 20 •
What is San•a Shiksha Abhiyan
• A programme with a clear time frame for universal elementary education.
• A response to the demand for quality basic education all over the country.
• An opportunity for promoting social justice through basic education.
• An effort at effectively involving the Panchayati Raj Institutions, School
Management Committees, Village and urban slum level education
committees, Parents Teachers Associations, Mothers Teachers
Association, Tribal Autonomous Councils and other grassroots level
structures in the management of elementary schools.
• An expression of political will for universal elementary education across
the country.
• A partnership between the Central, state and local government.
• An opportunity for states to develop their own vision of elementary
education".

Objectives <~l San'a Shiksha Abhiyan

• All children in school, Education Guarantee Centre, Alternative School,
'Back-to-School' camp 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 with emphasis on
education for life.
• Bridge all gender and social category gaps at primary stage by 2007 and at
elementary education level by 20 l 0.

' 0 Annual Report (2006-07) Himachal Pradesh Primary Education Society-cum - Sarva

Shiksha Abhiyan Mission Authority, Shimla-1 p.7.

21 Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (A programme for Universal Elementary Education)-Framework

for implementation. Published by Ministry of Human Resource Development Department

of Elementary education and Literacy. pp.2.
700 I INDIAN JOURNAL OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION
VOL. LVI. NO. 3. JULY-SEPTEMBER 2010

• Universal retention by 2010.22

Main objectives of the programme are: Universal Access, Universal
enrollment, Universal Retention and Quality Education. The main goals of
the programme are: All the children in schools by 2005, bridging all gender
and social category gaps by 2007, at primary level and 2010 at all levels 23 •
Broad Strategies Central to SSA Programme
• Institutional reforms to improve efficiency of the delievery system
• Sustainable financing
• Institutional capacity building for improvement in quality.
• Improving mainstream educational administration
• Community based monitoring with full transparency
• Habitation as a unit of planning
• Accountability to community
• Priority to education of girls
• Focus on special groups
• Thrust on quality
• Role of teachers
• District Elementary Education Plan
Decentralisation of planning and management of education is one of
the major strategies adopted to achieve the target of universal elementary
education. 24
Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan(SSA) in Himachal Pradesh
Taking into account the importance of elementary education the
Government of Hi machal Pradesh has made concerted efforts for achieving
the goals of Universalisation of Elementary Education. In this direction,
Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan is a major initiative for the delivery of the fundamental
right of every child in the age group of six and 14 years to have free and
compulsory education of satisfactory quality. SSA is being implemented in
the entire 12 districts of the PradeshY The last decade of the century has
really marked a positive note in the history of basic education and adult

12 Report of the Training Programme on District Planning in Education, National Institute

for Education of Planning & Administration, New Delhi. p. 16.

23 Bansi Lal Shukla. "Analytical Report 2007 Elementary Education in Himachal

Pradesh"'. Published by HPPES, Shimla-1. p.17, 2006.

24 Yash Aggarwal. "Database on Elementary Education in India: Scope, Coverage and

Issues", National Institute of Education and Public Administration, New Delhi, p.2, 1997.
25 Annual Report (2003-04) published by Himachal Pradesh Primary Education Society -

cum- Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, State Mission Authority, Shimla-1, p .5.

 TABLE 1: DISTRICT WISE POSITION OF THE SCHOOLS SANCTIONED UNDER SSA

Sl. District 2002- 2003- 2004- 2005- 2006- 2007- 2008- Total Made UPS PS Vl
No. 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 functi- Carried C!F >-
onal forward ~
>
en
Bilaspur 10 18 15 17 16 0 ll ITT 83 4 0 ::i::
~
Vl
2 Chamba 25 36 36 19 15 25 15 171 126 45 0 :::c
?
3 Hamirpur 15 3 15 5 0 3 0 41 4l 0 0 ?
\:ti
::i::
4 Kangra 35 36 36 50 0 0 50 207 194 13 5 ::;:
>
z
5 Kinnaur 6 3 3 2 0 0 3 17 11 6 0 z
6 Kullu 14 30 30 0 0 0 10 84 73 11 8 ~ ES
~E;:'.
7 L&S 3 7 0 0 0 0 0 10 10 () () ;;i ;:;
~::i:::
8 Mandi 20 55 55 16 24 49 40 259 42 4 Cl F:
~ "Cl
5:' ::0
9 Shimla 20 48 40 20 17 23 40 208 178 30 8 )>. >-
10 Sirmour 30 33 0 0 0 16 57 136 119 17 4 @~
~r
ll Solan 14 21 21 20 8 15 0 99 83 16 4 25 ;;..
c::n
12 Una 8 7 13 0 8 9 2 47 47 () 7 :;: ?;;
c,, tn
Total 200 297 264 149 88 140 228 1366 1182 184 40 ;::: en
;:,:.. ...,
""'c::
~c
SouRcE: Annual Work Plan of Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan ,2010-20112 7 ;:,:. -<
~
27 Annual Work .Plan of Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan ,2010-2011. 2
 ___,
TABLE 2: NUMBER OF HABITATIONS HAVING SCHOOLS FACILITY (DATA OF 7TH EDUCATIONAL SURVEY) 0
t->
~-....
Number of" Habitatim1s having Schools Facility at o-
--------p;./mai,v Stage Upper Primary Stage .t- 0z
~-
S1: District Total no. (~l Within Within 1 km Beyond Within Within3 km Beyond ;-~ >z
No. Habitations them but not one km them but not three km ,_~o
,. .,., c:
within them within them ·...., ;:<l
~~
,_ ,,..
Bilaspur 1573 565 865 143 172 173 ~r
~o
V; 'Tl
2 Chamba 437t 1053 1993 1325 276 2756 1339 t?i
"i;j ' t
-------· ---··
3 Hamirpur 1849 547 1165 137 2.53 1559 37 t;i g
~ ("
- ti:i~

4 Kan gm 4466 l7(X) 2086 680 694 3424 34S t'1 n

:>:i>
t>J 0
5 Kinnaur 231 156 38 Tl 73 116 :::::: a;::
-·------- c-
6 Kullu 2283 718 %5 600 162 1400 712
z
c:n
-l
;:;:i
7 L&S 30'2 195 65 42 (:(} 81 ;t>
:l
8 Mandi 7823 1670 3839 2314 521 5388 1914 0
z
9 Shimla 5572 1581 2422 1569 484 3676 1412
IO Sinnaur 2773 924 938 911 235 1477 J(k}l
11 Solan 3242 728 1529 985 230 2200 812
12 Una 1359 492 643 210 1050 99
TOTAL 35844 10329 16548 8%7 3370 24444 8030
Source :Annual Work Plan of Sarv ShikshaAbhiyan ,2010-2011 2
'~Annual work plan of Sarva Shiksha Abbiyan ,20l0-201 l.
 SARVA SHIKSHA ABHIYAN IN HIMACHAL PRADESH-A CASE STUDY 703
MAMTA MOKTA AND MANJULA SHARMA

literacy in Himachal Pradesh. Many a times existing structures and routine

activities fail to achieve the targets set forth. This may be due to wrong
perception of the problems or inadequate planning to achieve the set goals.
There is a well set machinery to impart education to the children both at
Centre and state level. But even after 60 years of Independence even the
humble goal of universal enrollment has not been achieved.Sarva Shiksha
Abhiyan was launched in Himachal Pradesh in 2001-02 as a programme to
supplement the efforts of DPEP in the Pradesh. 26
The programme is being implemented through following structures at
different levels right from state to school level.
State level State Project Office (SPO)
District level 12 District Project Offices( DPO)
Block level 118 Block Resource Centers
Cluster level 2104 cluster Resource Centres
School level 14913 Village Education Committee (VEC)
In SSA Himachal Pradesh, all planning, implementation, monitoring and
evaluation processes have an inbuilt gender focus, the district specific and
state wide plans include specific interventions. These are:

Teachers in Department of Education (Pry+U.Pry)

10000

8000

.,c:
~

GODO
E
e
c
w
4000 .
• 2006
2000 • 2007
• 2008
0
• 2009

Districts

Annual Report (2001-2002) published by Himachal Pradesh Primary Education Society

26

- cum- Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan , State Mission Authority, Shimla-1,p.3.

704 I INDIAN JOURNAL OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION
VOL. LVI. NO. 3. JULY-SEPTEMBER 2010

• Construction of new buildings, toilets, boundary walls and maintenance

of school buildings
• Teachers training
• Media activities and community mobilisation
• Girl child education
• Early childhood care and education
• Education of children with special needs
• Distance education programme
• Education of out-of-school children
• Management information system
• Research and evaluation
Present position of Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan in Himachal Pradesh can
be analysed through Tables 1,2 and 3 ..

TABLE 3 : TEACHERS IN DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION (PRY+U. PRY)

District 2006 2007 2008 2009

Bilaspur 2382 2408 2422 2475
Chamba 4781 5293 5359 5443
Hamirpur 2462 2490 2412 2455
Kangra 8463 9169 9114 9262
Kinnaur 831 833 891 841
Kullu 2862 2893 2961 3037
Lahaul-Spiti 690 713 741 736
Mandi 6913 7745 7006 7542
Shimla 7234 7334 7011 7f1.J7
Sirmour 3867 4171 3943 40CJO
Solan 3588 3691 3578 3700
Una 2527 2624 2734 2580
Total 46600 49364 48262 49138
SouRcE: Annual Work Plan of Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan. 20I0-2011.

Different Interventions of SSA

Civil Works
Civil works under SSA are being executed through community
participation at all the sites. The experiences of the DPEP, i.e. cost-effective
 SARVA SHJKSHA ABhlYAN IN HIMACHAL PRADESH-A CASE STUDY 705
MAMTA MOKTA AND MANJULA SHARMA

designs using local materials and technologies, alternative designs, child

friendly elements, solar passive design features are being shared.
Integrated Education for Disabled (JED)
In Himachal Pradesh there are nearly 19242 CWSN who suffer from
one or the other disability, 16683 CWSN have been integrated in formal
schools and for 2559 out of school CWSN, different strategies have been
adopted to bring them in educational system. There are 2559 out of school
CWSN who are of severe and profound category. For these children home-
based programme has been implemented at elementary level in the age
group of 6-14 years in H.P. Out of these 2559 CWSN, 450 have been
adopted by 21 NGOs in various districts and remaining are being covered
by in-service trained teachers.
GENDER INTERVENTIONS, NATIONAL PROGRAMME OF
EDUCATION OF GIRLS AT ELEMENTARY LEVEL, KASTURBA
GANDHI BALIKA VIDYALAYA, COMMUNITY
MOBILISATION AND ECCE
State Gender Resource Group Orientation and Development of
Module for Gender Training
Gender resource group comprising of gender coordinators, community
coordinators, selected teachers, members of selected NGOs and selected
community members. State Gender Resource Group was oriented at state
level in different workshops. This group is not a static formation. A few
members of the group become inactive and other new faces are introduced
in the group.
Community & Civil Society Partnerships
a. Collaborative School-level planning with involvement of community;
processes for developing a School Development Plan for each school:
presently the State is in the process of developing a new structure and
guidelines for the School Management and development Committees in
accordance with the mandate of the Right to Education Act 2009. The
emphasis will be on giving the stakeholders a greater role in framing and
implementing the School Development Plans. The plans will be finalised
by a general body of parents of the children actually studying in the schools
and the teachers. It will contain the inbuilt processes for regular review
of progress and results on all fronts. The SMCs thus constituted will be
given all the powers required for day-to-day functioning of the schools.
b. Community contribution to quality improvement: The system of
Community meetings has been institutionalised along with the regular
monitoring of the progress based on Child Progress Tracking System.
c. Nature of partnerships with private/NGO sector: The School Management
706 I INDIAN JOURNAL OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION
VOL. LVI. NO. 3. JULY-SEPTEMBER 2010

Committees as they have been mooted now will have the discretion to
involve the private players/ NGOs in the school improvement or even in
implementation of various schemes for School development.
d. Special initiatives for disadvantaged groups, early childhood education,
multilingual education, etc.: A proposal is being sent to the State
Government for co-location of Anganwaris within the school premises
so that there can be better convergence in ECCE.

DISTANCE EDUCATION

Objectives:
DEP-SSA has following major objectives:
• To build capacity of institutions and personnel at National. state, district
and sub district levels.
• To provide technical and financial support in designing, developing and
delivering distance learning materials, audio/video programmes for training
elementary school teachers and other functionaries.
To strengthen institutions by creating infrastructural facilities like Direct
Reception set (DRS) Satellite Interactive Terminals (down link facilities) at
Continuous Comprehensive Evaluation (CCE).
1. Capacity building: Continuous Comprehensive Evaluation is a class
room process where each and every teacher has to evaluate all the students
in their classes both for scholastic and co-scholastic achievement. Every
teacher has to be oriented for the same. Capacity building workshops will
be held for master trainers for district and block resource group.
2. Teacher diary : The practice of writing teachers diary will be
continued.
3. Material development : Evaluation & reinforcement sheets will
be developed for class I- VIII in all the subjects.
4. Research: Various evaluative research in respect of students learning
level, skill development, remedial teaching etc. will be undertaken.
5. Regular progress of the students will be recorded in the teacher
check list register and on monthly basis achievement will be entered in
pupil progress report card and would be shared with the parents.
6. Child tracking: Each student will be given a unique identity number
and his academic progress will be closely monitored through a software.
This record will be maintained from class I to VIII.
Monitoring & Supervision
1. As regular feature of SIEMAT, monitoring and grading of schools I clusters
I blocks I districts will be carried out in every quarter.
 SARVA SHIKSHA ABHIYAN IN HIMACHAL PRADESH-A CASE STUDY 707
MAMTA MOKTA AND MANJULA SHARMA

2. Capacity building of Heads of all schools in a phased manner.

3. Based on the current developments taking place in the field of education,
module will be designed for the educational administrators working in the
school education sector. 29 Here are given some suggestions to make SSA
more effective in Himachal Pradesh.

RECOMMENDATIONS

• At primary level: A strong group of resource persons has to be developed

to accomplish the task of effective teachers training in the state.
• Gender Resource groups need an orientation on regular basis.
• Training programmes, capacity building workshops and strengthening of
resource groups at all levels are some of the activities that have led to
emergence of an elaborate, correct and effective information system.
• Updation of Village Education Registers (VERs) as per the latest house
hold figures and to integrate this to the School Development Plans (SDPs).
• New Primary Schools to be opened where distance is more.
• Special drives to bring children to schools where there is a school but
socio-economic factors are preventing the children to reach school.
• Special schools with one to one approach to cater to each child through
IGNOU.
• Innovative activities through community to mainstream dropout children
and to retain children already enrolled in the school and to bring 'never
enrolled children' in the fold of educatjon.
• Research studies to find out the reasons for the decreasing enrolment in
government schools.
• Special initiatives to retain the children in formal system of education
managed by the education department and to make learning joyful.
• Identification of reasons for out of school and planning and executing
corrective action in a participatory manner.
• Focused teacher training programmes in identified districts, blocks and
clusters where dropout rate is high.
• Systematic, activity based and child centred teaching in identified schools.
• Remedial teaching in the low performing schools.
• Involvement of community to address the issue of repetition.

29 Annual Report 2007-2008 published by Himachal Pradesh Primary Education Society

- cum- Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, State Mission Authority Shimla-1.

708 I lNDlAN JOURNAL OF PUBLIC ADMlNISTRATION
VOL. LVI, NO. 3, JULY-SEPTEMBER 2010

o Study the transition rate in more detail to f:nd out the missing (enrolled in
private schools) children by covering private schools.
o Focus on better learning levels so that repetition rate goes down, pass
percentage goes up and more and more students pass with higher
percentages.
o Teacher's Training for IED with a focus on early detection and identification
of disabilities. They should also be trained and oriented to organise medical
camps in convergence with the Health Department.
o The Schools that are rur.ning in the other government buildings or rent
free buildings are riot eligible for the maintenance grant under SSA. Cover
these schools for the purpose of maintenance grant in relaxation ot SSA
norms. Most of these schools need repair.
o Allowing major repairs as per need and requirement.
o Provide girls toilets through SSA.
o Fill up vacancies of teachers in these schools.
o Address issue of adverse PTR by :ationalising the positions and posts of
teachers wherever needed.
o Strengthen Academic Support Structures a~ Education Block and Cluster
Level for decentralised planning and implementation. There is also a ueed
to strengthen the Resource Groups at various levels.
o The community must be involved in planning, implementation and
monitoring of the project.
o Good examples of people's participation and community involvement need
to be shared.
o More community participation for better managed Mid-Day Meal
programme.
• Activities like Ba: Melas, Gi:::I Child Week, Cluster Melas and TLM Mela!:
at ,111 levels to enthuse chil~ren and to involve parents and community
members should be the regular features.
o Incentives for the Girls, SC/ST students a11d students below the poverty
line to improve their retention levels and to in<.:rease their performance.
• Regular Exposure visits for the 'itudents and teachers r.nould be organised.
o Exp~nd computer edccation in the Upper Primary Schools.
• Continue focus on pre-school activitiP.s and give sustamed support to the
Department of Sncial Justice and Women Empower.nent
o Introduce friendly elements for special children. Make ramps and rail~ in
all schools.
 SA.RVA SHIKSHA ABHIYAN IN HIMACH.t.L PRADESH-A CASE STUDY 709
MAMTA MOKTA AND MANJULA SHARMA

• There must be special teacher for special children. Either impart special
training to the teachers or appoint at least one teacher per block to take
care of these children.
• There is a need to establish model schools with all the facilities to compete
with the private sector.
• There is <.:.need to expand the quality improvement plan for basic learning
at Primary level.
• There is a need to launch a programme for improvement of Science and
Maths at Upper Pri!T'ary level.
• The teacher training module sholld be rev:sed keeping in view the new
initiatives for quality improvement and ensure that the teacher trainings
translate in actual classn_,om transaction·;.
• The Schools who are not performing well consistently should get special
focus in trainings and all SSA activities.
• If above mentioned suggesti0ns are taken into consideration Sarva Shiksha
Abhiyan can definitely prove effective in reer.gineering & redirecting the
system of education in positive direction in Himachal Prade~:h.