Law & Education

Avinash Awaghade
Assistant Professor
Alliance School of Law
Alliance University

Unit : II
2. Elementary Education in India
2.1 Equal opportunities in education to
all
 Law & Education

Education For All (EFA)

• Fundamental human right

• Universal Declaration on Human Rights
• UN Convention on the Rights of the Child
• Conference on Education For All, Jomtien, 1990
• Agreement universalise primary education and
reduce mass illiteracy by end of decade
EDUCATION IN INDIA

Beyond Literacy is what we should aim

at…………………
• Primary education in India started showing good
signs with governments effort
1. to increase the Gross Enrollment ratio in schools
On one hand number of students enrolled in
schools are rising,
2. infrastructure is getting improved ,
3. government schools are getting recognized but on
the other hand the overall quality of primary
education haven’t improved a lot.
4. Although government had realized this and had
taken many steps like Right to Education Act
5. and Sarv Shiksha Ahbhiyan, Aakansha, Make a
Difference but due to high developmental and
economical diversity, a single model can’t be
implemented in all states.
• We have done primary and secondary research to
identify the possible reasons for the poor quality
education and then provided remedial actions to
eliminate those issues
• Best practices throughout the world are noted and
feasible one were put in suggestions
• A roadmap is developed to solve the issues related
to infrastructure, quality teaching, student
motivation and course content in primary schools.
• It was found during Primary research that some of
the rules like necessary passing has downgraded the
quality of students
Primary Education
• The Indian government lays
emphasis to primary education up to
the age of fourteen years
• The District Primary Education
Program (DPEP) was launched in
1994
• 85% of the DPEP is funded by the
central government and the
remaining 15 percent is funded by
the state.
• Indian government has also banned
child labor
Primary Education

• The DPEP, which has opened new

schools including alternative
education schools delivering
alternative education to children,
• is also supported by UNICEF and
other international programs.
National Policy on Education, 1968
• Strenuous efforts should be made for early
fulfillment of the Directive Principle under
Article 45.
• Reiterated the resolve that "by 1995, all
children will be provided free and compulsory
education up to 14 years of age."
• The Constitution of India was amended in
2002 to make Elementary Education a justiciable
Fundamental Right.
Ist Plan (1951-56)
 To provide educational facilities to at least
of all children of the school-going age
within the age-group of 6-14.
II nd Plan (1956-61)
 The emphasis was on linking education with
economic development. It also advocated for
expansion of basic and elementary education.
III rd Plan (1961- 66)
 The main emphasis was on the provision of
facilities for universal elementary education for
all children in the age-group 6-11 on basic line.
There was also a special concentration on the
education of girls and to reduce the existing
disparities in the level of development in
education boys and girls.
 Annual Plans (196669)- No change in the
approach
IVth Plan (1969- 74)
• Educational Programme in the IVth plan
were
related to social and economic objectives of the
country.
• It was a prospective plan based on
Manpower
needs, social demand and the availability of
financial, material and human resources.
Vth Plan (1974-79)
Very high priority was given to elementary
•

education and adequate provision was made for

additional enrolment.
•Provisions for curricular orientation, work
experience and strengthen of educational
institution for teachers
Vth Plan (1974-79)
Very high priority was given to elementary
•

education and adequate provision was made for

additional enrolment.
•Provisions for curricular orientation, work
experience and strengthen of educational
institution for teachers
VIth Plan (1980-85)

• Highest priority to programme of UEE to

continue
as a part of minimum needs programme.
• To achieve UPE in the next 5 years
• The approach to UEE was to cover
• i) intensified uses of existing facilities,
including the adjustment of schooling hours
which would not be more than 3 hours a day
according to local conditions,
• ii) provision of new facilities which would
be economically viable and educationally
relevant, and
• iii) promotion of non-formal system of
VIth Plan (1980-85)
Schemes which were taken up, were

i) Accepting the principle of average

attendance
to overcome wastage and stagnation,
ii) Ensuring that a school is available to a
child within 1.5 Kms in a town and within 6
Kms
in a village,
iii) Laying emphasis upon compulsory
enrolment,
iv) Bringing about the expansion of part-time
informal education, and
v) Eradication of regional imbalances.
VIIth Plan (1985-90)
• Highest priority to realising UEE for children
in the age-group of 6-14 years by 1990.
• Emphasis shifted from mere enrolment to
retention
and attainment of basic elements of learning.
• These objectives were to be achieved
through formal and non-formal methods
focusing sharply on the needs of girls and the
children belonging to economically and socially
weaker sections.
VIIIth Plan (1992-97)
• Highest priority to universalisation of free and
compulsory education upto the age of 14.
• Reduction of disparities in access among states
and within states, between boys and girls and among
different segments of the population and
• Improving the retention and achievement of
children of the relevant age-group.
• To provide alternative channels for education to
children of deprived sections and working children.
• Reduction of drop-outs particularly among girls
and children belonging to SCs, STs and other
economically and socially disadvantaged
communities.
VIIIth Plan (1992-97)
• A national programme of mid-day meals was
started in August, 1995 to promote access, retention
and nutritional care of primary schools.
• Improvement in the quality of schooling and
achievement levels of children enrolled in schools was
attempted through the introduction of minimum levels
of learning (MLL) and enhancement of infrastructure
facilities.

• Operation Black Board (1987), National

Programme of Nutritional Support (1995), District
Primary Education Programme (1994), Bihar
Education Project (1991), UP Basic Education
Project, Mahila Samakhya, Lok Jumbish, Shiksha
Karmi
IXth Plan (1997-2002)
• We are committed to a total eradication of
illiteracy. We will formulate and implement plans to
gradually increase the governmental and non-
governmental spending on education upto 6 of
the GDP this is to provide education for all.
• We will implement the constitutional provision of
making primary education free and compulsory upto
5th standard.
• Our aim is to move towards equal
access to and opportunity of educational standards upto
the school-learning stage.
• We shall strive to improve the quality of education
at all levels from primary level to our universities.
IXth Plan (1997-2002)
• i) the national goal of providing primary
education as a universal basic service,
• ii) the Supreme Court judgement declaring
education to be a fundamental right for children
upto 14 years of age,
• iii) the need to operationalise programmes
through Panchayat Raj institutions (PRIS) and
Urban Local Bodies (ULBs),
• iv) the legal embargo on child-labour,
• v) the provisions of the Persons with
Disabilities Act, 1995, and
• heightened awareness of human rights
violations in respect of women, children and
persons from disadvantaged sections of society.
Elementary Education in the Tenth Five Year
Plan (2002-07)
• Approaches
• Approaches to achieve the goal of universal
elementary education in the years to come have to
measure the magnitude and complexity of the task,
which has so far remained incomplete. Efforts to
pursue this goal are guided by three broad
Concerns
• The national resolve to provide free and
compulsory education of satisfactory quality to
all children up to the age of 14 years
•
Elementary Education in the Tenth Five Year
Plan (2002-07)
• The political commitment to make the right to
elementary education a Fundamental Right and
enforcing it through necessary statutory
measures and
• Enactment of 73rd and 74th Constitutional
Amendment which has set the stage for greater
decentralisation and s significantly enhanced
role for local bodies, community organisations as
well as voluntary agencies in the efforts towards
UEE.
Targets in Elementary Education in the Tenth
Five Year Plan (2002-07)
Universal Access
• (a) All children (age groups 6-11 and 11-14)
should have access to primary schools, upper
primary schools or their alternatives within the
walking distance of one kilometer and three
kilometers respectively.
• (b) Universal access to early childhood care and
education centers for all children of 3-6 years
of age
•
Targets in Elementary Education in the Tenth
Five Year Plan (2002-07)

(c) Need based expansion of upper primary

education facilities, particularly for disadvantaged
section. There should be one upper primary school for
every two primary schools
• (d) All schools should have buildings, toilets,
drinking water, electrification, playground,
black boards and other basic facilities and
• (e) Provision of one classroom for every
teacher at elementary stage.
Targets in Elementary Education in the Tenth
Five Year Plan (2002-07)

Universal Enrolment
• Enrolment of all children in schools or other
alternatives by 2003 and
• All children complete five years of primary
schooling by 2007 and
• All children complete eight years of schooling by
2010
• Universal Retention
• (a) Universal retention in primary cycle by 2007
and in upper primary level by 2010 and
• (b) Dropout rate to be reduced to less than 10
percent for grades VI-VII by 2007
• Universal Achievement
• Improve all aspects of quality of education
(content and process) to ensure reasonable
learning outcomes at elementary level, especially
in literacy, numeracy and in life skills.
Targets in Elementary Education in the Tenth
Five Year Plan (2002-07)

• Bridge all gender and social gaps in enrolment,

retention and learning achievement in primary
cycle by 2007. In upper primary it should be
reduced to less than 5 by 2007
• Special interventions and strategies to include
girls, SC/ST children, working children, children
with special needs, urban deprived children,
children from minority groups, children below
poverty line, migrating children and children in
hardest to reach groups.
Issues in Elementary Education in the 11th Plan
• The Constitution of India was amended in 2002 to
make Elementary Education a justiciable
Fundamental Right.
• 7.1 million children being out of school and
over 50 dropping out at elementary level are
matters of serious concern.
• SSA to be reoriented to meet the challenges of
equity, retention and high quality education.
• States to be pursued to enact their own
legislation or amend the existing ones to ensure
UEE.
• SSA would be restructured into a National
Mission for Quality Elementary Education to
ensure minimum norms and standards for a school
(both government and private) that is accessible
to all children. It would address access, quality
Issues in Elementary Education in the 11th Plan
• • States to be pursued to enact their own
legislation or amend the existing ones to ensure
UEE.
• SSA would be restructured into a National
Mission for Quality Elementary Education to
ensure minimum norms and standards for a school
(both government and private) that is accessible
to all children.
• It would address access, quality and equity
holistically though Systems Approach.
Teachers

Touch

Tomorrow

Thank You

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