Manual Planning and Appraisal for Universal Elementary Education PDF

SARVA SHIKSHA ABHIYAN A PROGRAMME FOR UNIVERSAL ELEMENTARY EDUCATION MANUAL FOR PLANNING AND APPRAISAL MINISTRY OF HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT OF ELEMENTARY EDUCATION & LITERACY April, 2004 CONTENTS Page No. Section – 1 Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan 1–5 Section – II Planning Process and Plan Formulation 6 – 33 Section – III The Appraisal Process 34 – 39 Section – IV Major Components 40 – 122 4.1 Introduction 40 4.2 Quality Improvement 40 – 59 4.3 Girls’ Education 59 – 70 4.4 Education of Children With Special Needs (CWSN) 71 – 75 4.5 Scheduled Tribe (ST) and Scheduled Caste (SC) Children 75 – 78 4.6 Urban Deprived Children 79 – 82 4.7 Early Childhood Care and Education 83 – 84 4.8 Education of Out-of-School Children 85 – 89 4.9 Research and Evaluation 89 – 92 4.10 Management Structures 92 – 97 4.11 Community Mobilization 97 – 102 4.12 Civil Works 102 – 113 4.13 Management Information System (MIS) 113 – 119 4.14 Computer Education 119 – 122 Section – V Budgeting 123 - 144 Appendix I Suggestive Methods of Calculation of GER, NER and Retention Rate 145 – 152 Appendix II Appraisal Report 153 – 155 Appendix III Data use in Planning, Implementation and Monitoring at various levels – an example 156 – 161 Appendix IV Data Capture Format 162 SECTION - I SARVA SHIKSHA ABHIYAN 1.1 Introduction 1.1.1 Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) is a comprehensive and integrated flagship programme of Government of India to attain Universal Elementary Education (UEE), covering the entire country in a mission mode. SSA has been launched in 2001-2002 in partnership with the State Governments and Local Self Governments. The programme aims to provide useful and relevant, elementary education to all children in the 6 to 14 age group by 2010. It is an initiative to universalize and improve quality of education through decentralized and context specific planning and a process based, time bound implementation strategy. The programme lays emphasis on bridging all gender and social category gaps at elementary education level with time bound objectives. On one hand, SSA is a programme with its own targets, norms and processes and on the other it is an umbrella programme covering other programmes like District Primary Education Programme (DPEP), Lok Jumbish, Operational Blackboard, etc. The gigantic dimensions of the programme and the financial implications call for a meticulous planning and a rigorous appraisal. 1.1.2 India has made long strides in the last 50 years in the field of education. The National Policy on Education 1986 and Programme Of Action 1992 also accorded top priority for achieving the goals of Universal Elementary Education. A number of programmes / schemes were launched during the last four decades for Universalisation of elementary education. Some of these efforts have been in the field of primary education and a few also covering upper primary sector. Due to these interventions, initiated by Government of India and the respective state Governments, there has been considerable progress in providing access, improving retention and the quality improvement in primary education sector. However, much needs to be done for the special focus groups, and the upper primary sector. Quality improvement still remains a major concern, especially for upper primary sector. Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan is an attempt to fill this vacuum and covers all the districts in the country unlike the earlier programmes on elementary education. The programme covers the whole gamut of elementary education sector and is flexible enough to incorporate new interventions like specific interventions for girls, e.g., NPEGEL, Kasturba Gandhi Programme. 1.1.3 SSA adopts, “the bottom-up” process of planning, wherein the felt needs of the served communities and educational needs of learners are well taken care of and the plan fits into the broad framework of SSA. In view of the fact that the desired improvement and sustenance of the improved efficiency level can not be achieved without the active involvement of the community in the schooling system, SSA has emphasized the involvement of local people & stakeholders in planning. This also ensures reflection of local specificity, which is essential for achieving the goals of the programme. 1.1.4 Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan is an attempt to provide quality education to all children through active participation of community in a mission mode. The major characteristics of SSA are: 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, Mother Teacher Associations, Tribal Autonomous Councils and other grass roots 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. 1.1.5 Aims and objectives of SSA 1.1.5.1 The Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan aims to provide useful and relevant elementary education for all children in the 6 to 14 age group by 2010. There is also another goal to bridge social, regional and gender gaps, with the active participation of the community in the management of schools. Following are the main objectives of SSA: All children in school, Education Guarantee Centre, Alternate 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 2010. Universal retention by 2010. 1.1.6 Basic Features of SSA Institutional reforms in states. Sustainable financing in partnership with states (IX Plan 85:15, X Plan 75:25, After X plan 50:50). Community ownership of school based interventions through effective decentralization. Institutional capacity building for improvement in quality. Community based monitoring with full transparency in all aspects of implementation. Community based approach to planning with a habitation as a unit of planning. A mainstreaming gender approach. Focus on the educational participation of children from the SC/ST, religious and linguistic minorities, etc. Thrust on quality and making education relevant. Recognition of critical role of teacher and focus on the human resource development needs of teachers Preparation of District Elementary Education Plans reflecting all governmental and non-governmental investments. 1.1.7 Major Areas of Interventions in SSA Education of out-of-school children (Educational Guarantee Scheme and Alternative & Innovative Education) Quality Improvement Special Focus Groups Research and Evaluation Management Structure and Institutional Capacity Building Community Mobilization Civil Works Monitoring and MIS Financial Management and Procurement 1.2 Objectives of the Manual 1.2.1 With the enactment of the 86th constitutional amendment act, “free and compulsory quality education upto elementary level” has become a Fundamental Right, thus making it mandatory for the central and state Governments to provide for such education to each and every child. In the face of socio-economic and geographical diversity prevailing in the country and the dimension of school age population, planning has become utmost important to achieve the targets in the stipulated time period. With this in view, a need was felt to revise the existing Manual for Appraisal of Plans brought out by MHRD in 2002 to lay more emphasis on planning process. The present edition of the manual, aims at providing a comprehensive overview of various aspects and components of SSA for planning and appraisal. This would be beneficial for the planners and appraisers at all levels. 1.2.2 The specific aims of the manual are: To present an overview of the essential activities at the time of planning. To emphasize the need for concerted efforts for seeking cooperation of community for planning which could ultimately lead to community ownership of the school based interventions as envisaged in the SSA framework. To provide an insight into a set of criteria for the appraisal of a process oriented programme To provide ready to use guidelines for appraisers To provide inputs to enhance the capacity at the state level for appraisal. 1.2.3 The colossal task of fulfillment of the SSA objectives in a stipulated time period in a country as diverse as India requires sound planning and well-elaborated plan proposals. This is all the more important for effective utilization of available resources. The aim of the appraisal process is to highlight the weaknesses of the plans and suggest improvements. Accordingly, the appraisal process actually strengthens the planning process and is not an end in itself. 1.2.4 This edition also incorporates recently developed checklists for gender, ECCE, IED and SCs/ STs, The incorporation of these check-lists would prove to be equally useful for the planners and appraisers. SECTION – II PLANNING PROCESS AND PLAN FORMULATION 2.1 Objectives of Planning : 2.1.1 Planning, in general, denotes proposing a set of actions or activities in a sequential order to achieve the required objectives or fulfill the needs. In other words, planning is a process for identifying the needs that exist in a particular area for achieving specific goals, evolving strategies to address them and proposing suitable activities as per the strategies. 2.1.2 Sarva Shiksha Abhhiyan has time bound objectives. It means that the goals and the objectives of the programme are to be achieved within stipulated period. Thus, planning under SSA is to review the present scenario in a state, district, block or village, to identify the needs and propose interventions to fill the gaps in order to achieve the goals of the programme. 2.1.3 In the face of socio economic and geographical diversity prevailing in the country and sheer size of the target child population, need based local planning has become very important to achieve the targets effectively. 2.2 Types of plans 2.2.1 SSA envisages the preparation of District Elementary Education Plan (DEEP) – a comprehensive Plan of Action for the educational improvement of the whole district. 2.2.2 SSA requires two types of plans-annual and perspective. An annual plan proposes the interventions for a year and the perspective those over a longer period. A perspective plan shows the perspective of the state. It provides the long term strategies of the state with a vision to accomplish the goals of the programme. The perspective plan provides estimates of the fund requirement alongwith phased out interventions over the period for achieving the goals. On the other hand, an annual plan prioritizes the activities to be undertaken in a particular year in the context of the targets provided in the perspective plans. SSA framework clearly provides the difference between the two plans as “while the objective of the perspective is to assess and plan for unfinished UEE agenda in a particular district, the annual plan is an exercise in prioritization”. While, the perspective plans are to be prepared upto year 2010, the financial component should be prepared only for 10th plan period. 2.2.3 An annual plan or perspective plan in SSA is not merely a statement of interventions and the financial implications thereof. It provides a picture of present educational scenario and a number of interventions to achieve the goal of Universalisation. However, much more important than providing this information is the process through which the plans have been formulated. The plans have to be developed through a participatory planning process and the interventions proposed therein should help to achieve the objectives of the programme. An attempt has been made in the following paragraphs to provide an overview of the planning process, how the plans should be developed, what should be in the plans, how interventions are to be proposed and what data is required at each level. 2.3 The planning teams 2.3.0.1 The programme emphasizes the need for a community based planning process. Planning at three levels have been identified namely : habitation block district. 2.3.0.2 The following paragraphs describes the planning teams at various levels. 2.3.1 Identification of Planning Teams 2.3.1.0.1 The selection of suitable persons for inclusion in the planning teams is perhaps, the most crucial element in the plan formulation. SSA programme envisages constitution of planning teams at habitation level and core planning teams at block and district levels. 2.3.1.1 Habitation level team 2.3.1.1.1 The habitation level planning team should give wider representation to grassroots level structures including PRIs and VEC, community leaders, teachers and parents. The aim of constituting this team is to involve the parents and the community leaders in the education of the children as well to strengthen / build community-school linkages. The habitation level team should be acquainted with norms for providing school facilities. 2.3.1.2 Block and district level teams 2.3.1.2.1 There would be core planning teams at block and district level. Apart from Education Department functionaries, NGOs, teachers – present and retired, representative of PRI, parents etc. are included in the core planning teams to make it brand based. At the district level there could be a larger advisory body. This body should have representatives of various Departments like - Education, Health, Public Works, Social Welfare, Women and Child Development, Tribal Welfare, Public Health Engineering Department (PHED), NGOs, etc. This body will facilitate "convergence" and help remove bottlenecks, if any, not only in collection of information, but also at the time of implementation. It will be the responsibility of the core district team to develop the plans as per the norms laid down in the SSA framework by prioritizing the various proposals emanating from various levels. 2.3.2 Capacity Building 2.3.2.1 The training to be imparted to the core planning teams is of paramount importance. There should be two to three rounds of orientation and training of the district and block core planning teams about the aims/targets of the programme, various norms laid down in the programme and various information to be collected for plan formulation. They should also be oriented towards various interventions to be proposed in the plans. The second/third round of training should be imparted only after development of first draft plan. This will provide an opportunity to the planning team to improve upon the plans by having discussions with district teams. The resource support groups at the state level should continuously monitor this process. 2.4 Planning process 2.4.0.1 At the outset, it is pertinent to mention that a solid database and clear visioning are essential for planning. 2.4.0.2 SSA envisages the bottom-up approach of planning instead of the top-down approach in a decentralized manner, as it reflects the reality at the grassroots level. The planning process has to be participatory in nature as this type of planning not only creates a sense of ownership among the stakeholders, but also creates awareness and helps in the capacity building of personnel at various levels. The plans developed through consultative meetings and interaction with the community and target groups, at various levels, reflect local specificity. It is necessary that there be documentation of the process of the preparation of plan to evidence the fact that they have been prepared at the habitation level through participatory planning mode. The following steps are an integral part of participatory planning. 2.4.1 Interaction with community and target groups 2.4.1.1 The bottom-up approach will not only help the planning team to acquaint themselves with various problems, but may also provide an insight to the possible solutions. The commonality of problems across such meetings will help the planning teams to propose interventions accordingly. Interaction with community and target groups has to be ensured by involvement of target groups and community leaders in the constitution of habitation, block and the district level teams on one hand and by mobilisation activities and extensive visits of planning teams to every habitation – rural and urban (including slums) on the other. Such interactions not only provide an opportunity to be familiar with the problems of target groups and help in devising strategies to deal with these, but also mould the opinions of communities with the help of the good offices of community leaders. 2.4.2 Consultative meetings 2.4.2.1 The consultative meetings with the officials at block and district levels would facilitate the core teams in formulating strategies to address the problems. These meetings would also facilitate convergence among various schemes being implemented or proposed by different departments. As the responsibility of implementing the programme rests with the educational administration of the district, it is essential to involve them from the planning stage itself. 2.4.2.2 Documentation of consultative meetings and community interaction would enable the persons at the district and state levels as well as the appraisal teams to know about planning processes. 2.4.3 Microplanning Exercises 2.4.3.1 Once the planning teams are in place and their capacity building has been undertaken, the micro-planning exercise should be undertaken after the collection of data from various sources. This data would be an indicator of the existing situation and reflect the position vis-a-vis the goals and targets of the programme. It may be ensured that this data is invariably used for planning purpose. This data would form the basis to identify district specific issues. 2.4.4 Identifications of issues and interventions 2.4.4.1 Once the consulting process has taken place at various levels highlighting the problems and issues, the next step is to identify the problems and needs in the light of educational and general information and studies that have been conducted earlier. The assessment of the educational situation will lead to the identification of problems, needs and constraints of elementary education in the district. The problems related to access, enrolment, retention and quality of education need to be identified and reflected in the District Elementary Education Plan. 2.4.5 Target setting 2.4.5.1 In order to meet the SSA goal of UEE, it is important to achieve the basic objectives of universal access, universal enrolment, universal retention and universal achievement within the stipulated time period. 2.4.5.2 Various states are at various levels in the field of education. Thus, it may be possible for some states or districts to achieve the SSA goals before the target dates. It may, therefore, be essential for districts to set their own targets within the overall time frame of the programme. The targets have to be set realistically in a phased manner. There is a need to set dis-aggregated targets (preferably block wise) for disadvantageous and other groups on the basis of gender. Targets can vary from district to district and within a district, from block to block. 2.5 Plan formulation 2.5.1 With the processes defined in the preceding paragraphs, the draft plans have to be formulated at block and district level, which would also include the consolidation of habitation and block level plans. Based on district plans, the state component plan would be developed. This plan should provide an overview of State’s vision, various interventions in different functional areas and the strategy of State’s support to the district. It should also provide summaries for district educational and demographic profile and other relevant information. Once this information is consolidated in the state plan, it helps the appraiser to access information as well as to get a fair idea of the State as a whole. The draft plans after being subjected to intense scrutiny by the State are finalized. 2.5.2 The plans at various levels should invariably include the demographic features, the educational profile, issues and problems and the interventions which need to be undertaken in order to fill the gap between the present status and the ultimate goals of SSA i.e., UEE agenda. The process of plan formulation at every level has to be described with an account of consultative meetings that the core planning teams have at that level with community and other stake holders. 2.6 Data requirement and sources of data 2.6.1 Sources of Data 2.6.1.1 The main sources of data required for planning and plan formulations are household surveys, the DISE data and research studies. The programme requires yearly updation of household survey data. The DISE data pertaining to the schools is collected every year. Thus, for yearly planning, we have the updated information from these two sources. Besides, the research studies provide a valuable input for planning. 2.6.2 Information need and collection of information 2.6.2.1 SSA is a time bound programme and is committed to an overall improvement in elementary education sector with a clear mandate to achieve specific goals. As the SSA framework clearly states that all children complete eight years of elementary education, it is essential to gather information about all the children upto the age of 14 years – enrolled or never enrolled, out-of-school or within the system, studying in private sector schools or schools of autonomous bodies/ government. Accordingly, assessment of educational needs has to be made. Whereas a major portion of information could be available with schools / government departments, it is essential to conduct household surveys and micro planning in every habitation – rural or urban, to track the status of each child. In view of the need for updating the information collected through such exercises and using the information for plan formulation for each year, the programme has specifically provided for yearly updation of house-to-house survey data. Apart from these, the information revealed from DISE and Child Register should also be validated and the same should be reflected in the AWP&B. The following information has to be invariably collected: (i) Updated population figures of the districts - urban and rural, gender wise, block-wise; population of SC/ST/minorities – gender wise. Municipalities and Corporations can be taken as the units of planning for preparation of plans of urban areas. (ii) Literacy rates – gender wise, special focus group wise. (iii) Updated information on population of target group, age wise and gender wise. SC/ST and minorities – rural and urban and projection of this information in the case of Perspective Plans. (iv) Educational statistics: (As per gender, SC, ST, general, etc.) (a) enrollment, (b) retention/ dropout, GER, NER, repetition rate of 6-14 age group, (c) attendance, (d) number of primary graduates and the transition rate from primary to upper primary for schools, management wise (e) number of out of school children – both for never enrolled and dropout categories, (f) completion rates. This information should cover 4-5 years preceding the current year and should preferably be presented block wise. Note: Suggestive method of Calculation of GER, NER, retention rate and projection calculation is given in Appendix-I. Also, the projections for enrolment, retention and number of "out of school" children have to be provided in the case of Perspective Plans. (v) Number of schools (Management and CD block wise), number of primary and upper primary schools with upper primary sections attached to secondary schools, rural and urban, formal or alternative streams, number of ECCE centres. (vi) Status of number of teachers – in position, vacant posts, sanctioned posts, posts in primary and upper primary schools, single teacher schools and the percentage of female teachers and the number of trained and untrained teachers. These have to be provided, preferably gender wise and block wise. Based on these, the PTR has to be mentioned in the plans. (vii) School Infrastructure for Government and local body schools (toilets - Boys and Girls, drinking water, Rooms, Condition of the school buildings – Kutcha/pucka, girls' toilets, furniture, etc.) (viii) Details of schemes of various departments/agencies/organisations currently in operation in the area of education and the investments under these schemes. 2.6.3 Research and other studies 2.6.3.1 SSA framework envisages baseline assessment studies to be undertaken with respect to: (1) Learning achievement. (2) Retention and completion. (3) Access. (4) Gender equity. (5) Social equity. (6) Physical infrastructure, etc. 2.6.3.2 At the time of planning it is also important for the planning team to take cognizance of the outcomes of the baseline studies to make the planning more effective. 2.6.3.3 NCERT would undertake baseline achievement test for (a) primary level in all non- DPEP districts and (b) upper primary level in all the districts. These studies should be diagnostic in nature and be utilized in planning process. Care should be taken to ensure consistency in data presentation. There should not be any discrepancy in the same data provided at different places. 2.6.3.4 It should be ensured that as far as possible DISE data-base should be used in planning process. The source of data should be clearly indicated below the data. 2.6.4 Data and its use in planning 2.6.4.1 The introduction of Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan has further expanded the existing data- base related to Educational statistics, already being created by the System in the pre-SSA period. The data-banks, already in place, were capturing information on enrolment (by sex, social categories and age etc.); number of Government and aided & recognized unaided schools, number of trained and untrained teachers, etc. Besides data collection and compilation, States particularly those having experiences of projects like DPEP, were also conducting data analysis. However, the insistence of SSA on household survey, its annual updation and habitation level planning, has furnished the project offices at all levels, with enormous information. This information is an indicator of the existing situation and reflects the position vis-a-vis the goals and targets of the programme. 2.6.4.2 However, mere availability of the data reflecting the current situation is not the only objective of data compilation. To achieve the objectives and targets of the programme, interventions have to be proposed. Therefore, it becomes vital to use this data for diagnosis and the planning of various interventions. This will, then, ensure a need based planning (based on analysis of the available data). Need based planning facilitates smoother implementation of the programme by effective & optimal utilization of available resources, wherever required. 2.6.4.3 For planning to be targeted, it would be appropriate to use the available data for the purpose of planning at various levels. It would be advisable to form core groups for taking up de- centralized planning exercises. Capacity building of the core groups would have to be taken up on the use of data for planning. Intra-districts planning workshops should be arranged for sharing of experiences. District specific issues and problems should form a focal point for discussion in these workshops. 2.6.4.4 The data originating from the grass root level is consolidated at the block, district and state level. After consolidation, the data can be used for appropriate planning for various interventions at different levels. In the process of consolidation of detailed data, only the essential part of the data is retained at the higher level for strategy formulation. For example the number and location of unserved habitations, which quality for opening new schools is important at the district level. But at the state level only the number of such habitations are needed for devising appropriate strategies and proposing interventions. Thus, for planning only the appropriate data at any particular level is essential and not the entire data. An example is provided in Appendix-III, showing the use of data for planning, implementation and monitoring. 2.6.5 Information Tables 2.6.5.1 It is necessary that the districts maintain uniformity in data representation. A suggestive set of data formats is provided below for information about districts. The tables below should provide the reference year and source. 2.6.5.2 Information is to be provided CD block wise. Table 1 Data on population Name of the district Population all community Population Total Population all community Name Urban Rural SC S. No of the % to Block total Male Female Total Male Female Total Male Female Total Male Female Total Male F popul ation Source ____________________ Year ______________________ Table 2 Data on literacy rates Name of the district S.No Name of the Block Literacy Rate in percentage All communities SC ST Male Female Total Male Female Total Male Female Total Source : Census 2001 Table 3 Basic Indicators Name of the District S. No. No. of CD Blocks No. of Educational Blocks, if any No. of BRCs No. of CRCs No. of villages Total Source ____________________ Year ______________________ Table 4 Access-less Habitations Name of the District S. No. Block Total No. of Habitations without Habitations eligible for Habitations eligible for habitations primary schools / EGS EGS P.S. Total Source ____________________ Year ______________________ Note: List of habitations eligible for EGS and state norm should be attached. Table-5 Data on child population of 6-14 age group Name of the District : S.No. Name of Child Population (6-11 age group) All Total Child Population (6-11 age group) SC Total Child Popula the Block communities Urban Rural Urban Rural Urban Male Female Total Male Female Total Male Female Total Male Female Total Male Female Total Male Female Total Male Female T Total S.No. Name of Child Population (11-14 age group) All Total Child Population (11-14 age group) SC Total Child Populat the Block communities Urban Rural Urban Rural Urban Male Female Total Male Female Total Male Female Total Male Female Total Male Female Total Male Female Total Male Female T Total Source ____________________________ , Year _______________ Table-6 Data on enrolment and out of school children Name of the District : S.No. Name of the Enrolment (6-11 age group) Out of School Children (6-11 age Block All Communities SC ST All Communities SC Male Female Total Male Female Total Male Female Total Male Female Total % of child Male Female Total % of ch population popula Total S.No. Name of the Enrolment (11-14 age group) Out of School Children (11-14 age Block All Communities SC ST All Communities SC Male Female Total Male Female Total Male Female Total Male Female Total % of child Male Female Total % of ch population popula Total Note : To be updated from household survey data of last year Source __________________________, Year ____________________ Table 7 Planning for EGS and AIE Name of the District: S.No. Name of Age wise break up of Out of School Children the Block 6-8 years 8-11 years 11-14 years Male Female Total Male Female Total Male Female Total Total Source ________________________, Year __________________ Table 8 Number of Out of School Children with Reasons Name of the district S. No. Name of No. of out of No of out of school children with reason the Block school children as Lack of Lack of House hold Migration Earning Failure Socio cultura per household interest Access work compulsion reasons survey Total Source ________________________, Year __________________ Table 9 Coverage and Planning of Out of School Children Name of the district Sl. Name of No. of Out of No. of Children covered under different strategies in the preceding year No. of Children to be covere No. the Block School Children Mainstre- EGS NRBC RBC Madarsa/ Innovation others Mainstre- EGS NRBC as per HHS aming Makhtab aming Total Source ________________________, Year __________________ Table 10 Data on GER, NER; Cohort drop out and Overall repetition rates Name of the district Children of 6-11 age group Children of 11-14 age group S.No. Cohort Overall GER NER GER NER Cohort Dropout Dropout Repetition Note: Drop out and Repetition rates - Method of calculation is given in Annex I to the Manual on Planning and Appraisal. Source ________________________, Year __________________ Table 11 Data on completion rates, primary graduates and transition rate Name of the district Completion Rate No. of primary graduates Transition Rate from primary to upper prim Source ________________________, Year __________________ Table 12 Existing EGS centres Name of the district:.No. Name of the Block No. of existing EGS centres Total Source ________________________, Year __________________ Table 13 Data on schools Name of the district S. No Name Primary Schools Upper Primary Schools Secondary Sc of the block Govt. Govt. Unaided Private Total Govt. Govt. Unaided Private Total Govt. Go includi aided including aided including aid ng local local bodies local bodies bodies Recognized Unrecognized Recognized Unrecognized Total Note: Number of Madarasas - recognized, unrecognized; Maktabs and Sanskrit Vidayalaya etc. could be provided in separate tables or in this table with clear mention of their numbers. Source ________________________, Year __________________ Table 14 Data on teachers Name of the district Primary Schools S.No. Name of block Teachers in Government Schools Teachers in Government Aided Schools Teach Primary Primary Primary Total Primary Primary Primary Total alone attached with attached with alone attached with attached with Middle Secondary Middle Secondary Total S.No Name of Teachers in Primary Schools the block Enrolment of P.T.R. Entitlement of Sanctioned Teachers in Vacant P.T.R. S primary w.r.t. teachers at 1:40 Posts position position w.r.t. working te students in sanctioned ratio teachers sc Govt. schools posts Total Upper Primary Schools S.No. Name of block Teachers in Government Schools Teachers in Government Aided Schools Teacher UPS alone UPS with HS Total UPS alone UPS with HS Total s Total S.No Name of Teachers in Upper Primary Schools the block Enrolment of P.T.R. Entitlement of Sanctioned Teachers in Vacant P.T.R. Single students in w.r.t. teachers at Posts position position w.r.t. teacher Govt. schools sanctioned 1:40 ratio working schools posts teachers Total Source: _________________________, Year ________________________ Table 15 Details of Trained and Untrained Teachers Sl. No Name of Primary teachers Upper Primary districts Working Trained* Percen Untrained Percen Working Trained Percentage Teachers tage tage Teachers Those who Those who have Total Those wh have received not received 60 received 6 60 days days training training training Total * Trained as per NCTE guidelines Source ________________________, Year __________________ Table 16 Existing infrastructure l Name Total No of No of Total No of No of No of No of No of No o of no. of schools schools in no of repair UPS schools schools schools schoo Block schools without dilapidated pucca able with with with with with own condition classro classro HM D/water Toilet Girls acces building oms oms room facility facility toilet ramp 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 Block 1 Pry UPS Block 2 Pry UPS DIST. Pry TOTAL UPS Note : Upper Primary School (UPS) refers to Classes VI, VII and VIII, either as a separate school or in attachment with primary, secondary or high schools. The Middle school, even when attached with primary or a secondary school, is entitled for separate drinking water and toilet facilities. However, the boundary wall and playground will be common in such cases. Column 5 refers to schools that are building less (if any) as well as those running in kuccha/ tent/ rented premises. Column 6 refers to those schools that are totally dilapidated and has to be demolished. These should be declared unsafe and dilapidated by competent technical authority in the district. ‘Pucca’ refers to a permanent, usable classroom. If a school has a combination of pucca and kuchha classrooms, only the pucca ones may be considered in Column 7. The kuchha rooms should be replaced by additional classrooms. Boundary refers to a proper enclosure – it need not necessarily be a brick and mortar wall. Provision for kitchen is only required for primary schools. Table 17 Number of upper primary schools not covered under OBB Name of the district: Name of the Block Number of upper primary schools not covered unde Source ________________________, Year __________________ Table 18 Details of Disabled Children Name of the District: Sl. No. Name of Block Number of disabl Total Source ________________________, Year __________________ Table 19 Number of schools with 3 and more than 3 classrooms Name of the District: Sl. No. Name of Block Number of Government schools having upto 3 Number of Gov classrooms th Total Source ________________________, Year __________________ 2.6.5.3 The above tables provide block wise consolidation at district level. Similarly, a district wise consolidation of above information is required in the state component plan. 2.7 Chapterization 2.7.0 The plans so developed have to be arranged in a sequential order in various chapters. Each chapter should deal extensively with a specific topic. A suggestive chapterisation of the plans is given below: 1 Introduction 2 Process of Plan Formulation 3 State and District Profile 4 Educational Scenario 5 Progress made so far 6 Problems & Issues 7 Strategies and Interventions 8 Civil Works 9. Girls Education 10 Management Information System 11 Convergence and Linkages 12 Activities and Budgeting The details of the contents of these chapters are given below: 2.7.1 Introduction 2.7.1.1 The introductory chapter should provide the geographical location, topography as well as other characteristics of the district in case of a district plan and of the state in case of a state component plan. The historical background of the district and the state, the means of livelihood, economic scenario etc. are to be provided in this chapter. The economic status of the people may also be provided in this chapter. 2.7.2 Process of Plan Formulation 2.7.2.1 The process of plan formulation has to be clearly indicated in the second chapter with the documentation of the meetings/seminars/workshops etc. that the core planning teams have with the community, the stakeholders and the PRI members etc. Moreover, the details regarding the planning methodology followed should be clearly delineated. 2.7.3 State and District Profile 2.7.3.1 The state and district profiles presented in the plans should be so comprehensive that they reflect a clear picture of the state and districts. It is necessary that State plan should contain information covering all the important aspects of the state profile. In case information has not been presented for some items, justification for the same should be furnished. 2.7.3.2 The district profiles should present district-wise information on demography, area, literacy, number of blocks, villages, panchayats, clusters habitation, density of population, sex ratio, growth rate of population, percentage of urban population, S.C., S.T., O.B.C. and so on. Such information could be presented in a tabular form along with the analysis to show inter- district variations on various items. 2.7.4 Educational Scenario 2.7.4.1 The objective of presenting the district elementary education scenario is to assess the educational situation in the district. Hence, the data presented in this section should aim at understanding the educational scenario and present the strengths and weaknesses as well as problems and constraints of the district with regard to primary and upper primary levels of education. 2.7.4.2 The district educational profile section should contain write-ups on (i) Educational Administration in the district; (ii) Educational facilities at various levels; (iii) Detailed information on elementary education; (iv) State and centrally sponsored schemes being implemented in the district; (v) details of externally funded schemes; (vi) District Institute of Education and Training and state teacher training institutes; and (vii) Problems and issues of elementary education in the district. In case of the state component plan, the information on SCERT and SIEMAT should also be provided. 2.7.4.3 While presenting the district educational profile specifically on elementary education, the district plans should include all information related to private aided and unaided (recognized) schools also. Further the information on schools, enrolment and teachers etc. should also be given for Alternative schools, EGS etc. The appraisers need to see that the educational profile presented in the plan is for the district as a whole and not for government schools only. 2.7.5 Progress made so far 2.7.5.1 The programme enters into the fourth year from financial year 2004-05. While considering the annual work plan and budget for a year, it is pertinent to take stock of the progress made in various functional areas including the constitution of various structures. The information on spill over amounts and the carry forward activities flows from this information. The progress achieved has to be provided on : Progress against SSA goals Progress on physical targets and financial outlays Progress on other aspects Progress on Civil Works on cumulative basis 2.7.5.1.1 Progress against SSA goals 2.7.5.1.1.1 Progress against SSA goals should briefly detail out progress made against the major goals of SSA as follows : 1. All children in school Here, information should be provided on target child population, enrolment and number of out of school children. 2. Completion of primary and upper primary schooling The information on changes in the drop out rates, the completion rates and the transition rates from primary to upper primary should be provided. 3. Improvement in quality Here, data on percentage of students who have passed each class, percentage of students passing a class with more than 60% etc. should be provided. This will help in measuring the improvement in quality. 2.7.5.1.2 Progress on physical targets and financial outlays 2.7.5.1.2.1 This has to be provided in a tabular form in comparison to the total approved AWP&B for the preceding year. Corresponding to each activity, the approved physical targets and the financial part thereof has to be provided alongwith physical and financial achievement. The state should also provide information on unspent amounts in terms of amounts which could lapse at the end of year and amounts which will be spillover for the planned year. The recurring grants will lapse and the non-recurring spill over. The status of releases of central and state shares to the project should also be provided here. 2.7.5.1.2.2 The progress of Civil Works need to be given in cumulative form both physical & financial after ascertaining the cumulative physical and financial targets from PABs. 2.7.5.1.3 Progress on other aspects 2.7.5.1.3.1 Besides providing information on the physical progress, progress on qualitative aspects may also be provided. These might include details on strategy for teacher training, text- book revision, development of modules/manuals etc. Information may also be provided about the time by which textbooks were distributed. 2.7.6 Problems & Issues 2.7.6.1 The assessment of the educational situation is aimed at understanding the problems, needs and constraints of elementary education in the district. 2.7.6.2 It should therefore be noted that district educational profile presented in the plans should help the appraisers to know the needs and problems and understand the issues of primary and upper primary education in the district. It is important that presentation of facts and figures in tabular form or depicted in charts should also be accompanied by analysis of the data and a write-up. Findings and outcomes of research and case studies should be incorporated to substantiate the lacunas and problems and therefore strategies devised accordingly. 2.7.6.3 The DEEP document developed by the districts should contain details on the activities undertaken in the pre-project phase which includes the above mentioned activities also. It is expected that the section on ‘Issues and problems’ in the document should flow from the earlier sections on District Profile, Educational Profile and the Planning Process. The section on planning process should detail out the habitation/block plan preparation exercise, documentation on participatory planning exercise, highlights of studies conducted as well as surveys conducted in order to develop the plan. Hence, the section on `Problems and issues’ is supposed to record all the findings of the section on `district profile' and `planning process'. It is important that all problems mentioned in this section should emerge from these exercises and not merely from the perceptions of the planning team members. 2.7.7 Strategies and Interventions 2.7.7.1 The situational analysis of the data as provided in the district and educational profiles alongwith the research studies, and interaction with the community show where do we stand and how far the districts are from the goals of UEE. The strategies and intervention proposed to fill the gap between the present scenario and the goals of UEE are to be very clearly articulated in the chapter on strategies and interventions. It should adhere to the norms of the programme and the managerial and financial feasibility have to be assessed. Detailed write-ups, supported by relevant data on each intervention are to be furnished in this section. The justifications required for certain activities should also be furnished. 2.7.8 Civil Works 2.7.8.1 The allocation for civil works will not exceed 33% of approved perspective plan. The participation of community in all civil works activities will be mandatory in order to ensure a sense of ownership. Effort to improve the school environment by addition of few inexpensive internal and external elements should be made. A large number of attractive building designs for schools with child centres and pedagogic concept have been prepared and published by Ed.CIL and Lok Jumbish. 2.7.8.2 SSA encourages use of local construction material and cost effective technologies. This would require a large amount of capacity building. Civil works under SSA should start with a proper assessment of existing infrastructure, updating and future requirements. 2.7.9 Girls Education 2.7.9.1 Baseline and social assessment studies have shown low participation of girl’s at elementary level. There is also ample evidence to show that girls remain educationally backward as compared to boys despite the fact that both are from similar socio-economic backgrounds. The problem of poor enrollment, retention and learning achievement become more acute for girls at the elementary level, mainly because of expectation of parents from the girls to fulfill domestic needs. In recognition of this, special focus on girl’s education has become an imperative for UEE. SSA objectives bring out the programme’s intent to increase coverage of girls and bridge gender gaps in respect of enrollment, retention, completion and learning achievements. Thus, while planning for girls education, the plans should mention general as well as specific strategies to be adopted by the districts, based on available data, research studies and gender indicators. It should have an analysis of the present status of girls’ education. Efforts should also be made to mainstream gender concern in all programme activities. 2.7.9.2 To provide additional support for education of under privileged / disadvantaged girls, the scheme of NPEGEL has been introduced as an additional component of girl’s education under SSA. The States need to provide separate sub-plans for NPEGEL, wherever applicable, clearly stating the interventions to be taken up. The operational details would also have to be clearly spelt out. Similarly, the States need to consider the Government of India’s provision of new scheme, “Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya (KGBV)” for setting up residential schools with boarding facilities at elementary level for girls belonging predominantly to the SC, ST, OBC and minorities in difficult areas. Although, KGBV is not a part of SSA, the plans should provide the strategies and interventions to be taken up under this scheme to provide a holistic picture on girl’s education. 2.7.10 Management Information System 2.7.10.1 The chapter on Management Information System should provide information on the infrastructure required (including personnel and equipment) for the smooth implementation of the programme. It should be clearly spelt out how the MIS will function. The role and responsibilities of the personnel at various levels should be clearly defined. A mention should also be made of the capacity building of the personnel in terms of trainings, orientation and workshops and exposure visits etc. 2.7.11 Convergence and Linkages 2.7.11.1 SSA investments are an additionality, over and above the state Govts. level of investments in elementary education, as in 1999-2000 provisions, besides those that are being provided from other schemes/sources. The emphasis of SSA is on assessing comprehensively the interventions made in the district in the educational sector from all the sources. It is in this context that information on the existing schemes of other Departments/Agencies or of the Education Department for the activities not covered under SSA are to be provided in the plans to have a clear idea of all the investments in the sector. This information should be clearly provided in the chapter on convergence and linkages. 2.7.11.2 Convergence specially with schemes like Total Sanitary Campaign (TSC) and Accelerated Rural Water Supply Programme (ARWSP) started by Ministry of Rural Development, Government of India are crucial to achieve 100% coverage of such facilities. The agencies responsible for implementing SSA in drinking water and sanitary campaign need to co- ordinate their efforts to ensure coverage of all schools during 2004-05. The State may coordinate with officers designated for TSC and ARWSP and prepare AWP of 2004-2005, indicating number of schools covered under SSA and schemes, under Ministry of Rural Development respectively. 2.7.12 Activities and Budgeting 2.7.12.1 The interventions proposed should adhere to the programme norms and the activities are to be clearly mentioned in the plans with unit costs, physical targets and the total outlay for each activity in the plan. The costings should be provided in the software “AWPB-MIS (earlier known as FMIS) developed for this purpose at the national level. SECTION – III THE APPRAISAL PROCESS 3.1 Objectives of Appraisal 3.1.1 A major characteristic of SSA is that it is process based, time bound and has clearly spelt targets. The appraisal process is about judging the suitability of the proposed interventions to achieve the goals in the backdrop of prevailing educational scenario. Thus, the appraisal has to give attention to the various programme components and the processes equally. The objectives of appraisal are the following: To undertake a comprehensive review of all aspects and components of SSA programme in the State and district plans To review the district and the state plans in a holistic manner, paying special attention to inter-linkages between state and district activities, for a particular component as well as to linkages across components. To assess the individual programme components from the point of view of technical, managerial (institutional), financial feasibility. To undertake a holistic assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of the design of the programme and whether it can be realistically implemented. To assess the preparedness of the State and districts to implement the programme. 3.2 Appraisal of Plans 3.2.1 The plans proposed by the state & districts could be a perspective or an annual one. Whereas the perspective plan would be a blue print for UEE within the time frame of SSA in the context of the specific situation of the State/district, the annual plan prioritizes the activities to be undertaken in the year. The annual work plan and budget actually spell out the activities, its implementation schedule and the financial resource requirements. 3.2.2 In addition to the district plans there would be a separate state component plan. The objective of the state component plan is to facilitate programme implementation and provide support for capacity development at all levels. The state plan out lines the state vision, policy framework, implementation strategies and the monitoring strategies. 3.3 The Appraisal Mission 3.3.1 EE&L Bureau shall constitute the appraisal mission consisting of experts from the fields of education, social sector, planning, civil works, monitoring and evaluation and budgeting and costing. The states may consider constituting their own appraisal teams for appraisal of the plans submitted by the districts to them. 3.3.2 The members of the appraisal mission should have the ability to work with multi- disciplinary teams. They also need to have experience of working in the field. They would need to possess capabilities of producing readable and well-structured reports. Specialists for the appraisal team would be drawn from national and state level research and training institutions, academics from universities, management institutes as well as social science and research institutes, well known NGOs, state representatives and monitoring institutions. 3.3.3 The appraisal mission could possibly have a Convenor to coordinate the appraisal process and report preparation. Report preparation would be the joint responsibility of all the mission members. 3.4 Methodology of Appraisal Initial Briefing: The mission would be briefed initially by the EE&L Bureau, Govt. of India. A series of questions/issues would be provided to the mission for discussion/clarification at the state and district levels. The Terms of Reference (TOR) would be provided to the mission to facilitate its task. Meeting of the Appraisal Mission: It is advisable to convene a meeting of the mission members to discuss the details of the appraisal, itinerary, etc. and members would be assigned responsibilities before undertaking the state visit. Providing a set of documents for study. This would comprise the State and District Plans and some other relevant documents. The documents should be given to the members well in advance. The mission members should study these in detail before they embark on the field visits. Desk Appraisal: There will be a Desk Appraisal of the Plans before the mission leaves for the field visits. The documents and the plans should be studied in totality. The appraiser should not merely focus on the area assigned to him/her, but also study the plans in an integrated and holistic manner. A general idea should be drawn about the problems and issues and efficacy of interventions to deal with them. State visit: The mission would visit the state for discussion with the state and district teams. The state and district teams would make presentations comprising plan preparation, state and district profiles, component wise planning and strategies. The appraisal mission may need to interact with government functionaries like the State Education Secretary, SCERT & SIEMAT personnel, NGOs, literary activists, etc. Besides, the mission will also interact with the SSA society officials. Field Visits: The appraisal mission would need to visit some districts in order to assess the process of planning taken up, its preparedness for implementation of plans and habitation related information. It should also cross check whether the field situation and needs have been properly reflected in the plans. Functional groups could be constituted within the mission to undertake visits to districts separately. These groups may be for (i) access, enrolment and retention; (ii) quality related issues; (iii) information/data needs and planning process; (iv) civil works (v) management and evaluation; (vi) special focus groups and (vii) budget and finance. The appraisal mission may interact with the district collector, and other administrative functionaries, education officers, NGOs and other social sector officials at the district and sub-district levels. Interaction with the community members: For interaction with different functionaries at the cluster and village level and the community, the mission should prepare some points for discussion in advance so that the interaction is focussed and does not miss its focus. An easy and courteous way of asking questions and seeking clarifications needs to be followed. A fair listening should be provided to the functionaries in an encouraging and supportive manner. People should not get an impression that the mission has come to check or supervise. No commitment for any intervention should be given by the appraisal mission on behalf of the Government of India. Report Preparation: The reporting procedure should aim at following the requirements of the briefing and the Terms of Reference. It should contain requisite information, comments, recommendations and agreements. A uniform structure and style needs to be maintained. The report is merely a recommendation and should not appear admonitory. Wrap-up meetings: a) State Level: - After the state-district level appraisal are over, a wrap-up meeting is arranged at the state level. Usually, the wrap up meeting is taken up by the State Secretary in-charge of Elementary Education. In this meeting, the appraisal team provides its assessment of the appropriateness of interventions. During the discussion between the appraisal mission and the state / district teams, doubts are clarified and suggestions provided. b) National Level: - At the national level, the appraisal mission would meet the representatives from the EE&L Bureau, Govt. of India for a debriefing/wrap-up meeting. The mission would report its findings and respond to specific queries from the EE&L Bureau about areas of concern. The report containing the salient features of funding requirements, sequencing of implementation and item-wise evaluation and recommendation of proposals, would be submitted to the Department of Elementary Education & Literacy for approval. 3.5 General Appraisal Issues Have the plans (the state and the districts) been developed in line with the SSA objectives, time frame and features of SSA? Have the plans been developed with a vision accommodating the local specific needs, especially of the educationally deprived section? Have the plans taken into account all on-going schemes and programmes in a synergistic manner. Does the document contain all relevant information? Has all the information/data presented in the plan document been analysed? Does the document make use of the information for planning purpose? Is the write-up clear and self-explanatory? Does the document contain time series data to show progress over a period of time? Do all tables contain table numbers, titles, reference, year and source? Is there any inconsistency in the data presented and reflected in the plan? Have strengths and weaknesses of the system been identified? Does the information presented in the plan include private schools also? Have the information from ALS, EGS been included in enrolment etc.? Have all information been given block-wise? Is there a situational analysis of DIETs functioning? Is there any correlation between the findings of `district profile' `planning process' sections and that of need and problem identification? Have the issues and problems been properly flagged in the `district profile'? Does the participatory exercise reported in the document highlight the issues discussed in all the meetings/workshops? Do the findings of the studies and surveys mention about the needs and problems and issues related to both primary and upper primary education? Have the needs and problems identified been classified under various categories? Have the targets been set based on data analysis and needs assessment and are realistic ? Is there any justification for the targets set i.e. can the district team justify the targets? Have the targets been set in a phased manner? Is disaggregated target setting undertaken? Have the existing school infrastructure surveyed, requirement updated and future need assessed. Have the management/supervision structure for civil works been set up at State, District and Block level. System for Quality assurance for civil works set. Have the provision been made for training of SMC/VCC and field engineers. SECTION - IV MAJOR COMPONENTS 4.1 Introduction to Component-wise Planning 4.1.1 Planning, in general, refers to working out the interventions to meet the felt needs with resources available internally and externally. Educational planning under SSA is aimed at universalizing elementary education in a given time frame and in a way suited to the local conditions, aspirations of the people and learning abilities of the children. The two main planks of planning under SSA are the decentralization of planning process and making the plans contextual. 4.1.2 The main areas of UEE are: (i) universal access, (ii) universal enrolment, (iii) universal retention and (iv) quality elementary education to all children. Quantification of the targets while planning the first three components is important and feasible but it is not as applicable to the fourth aspect. The interventions for the last aspect will be qualitative in nature, which requires proper visualization and translation of steps and activities. However, it is important to note that all the activities and interventions reflected in the plans are for achieving UEE goals and are within the SSA broad framework. 4.1.3 Many a times, in sectoral (component-wise) planning process, proper linkages among the plans of different components are lost sight of or not visualized properly. The plans, therefore, should ensure the linkages among the components in order to reinforce their effectiveness as well as to avoid duplication and overlapping of planned interventions. The linkages may be in terms of planning and delivery of activities, time frame, finance and such other aspects. Component wise Planned Interventions 4.2 Quality Improvement 4.2.0.1 The planning and appraisal of quality related interventions need serious thinking and insight into the issues. Improving the quality and efficiency at the school/classroom level is a major thrust area under SSA as it aims to provide education of a ‘satisfactory quality’ in achieving the goal of education for all. Mere focus on access, enrolment and retention may not result in better school effectiveness. The efforts towards achievement of quality need to go hand-in-hand with efforts directed towards increasing access, enrolment and retention. Pedagogical improvement interventions are the crucial and most difficult area to plan, appraise and implement. The ultimate goal of all quality directed interventions is to attain positive changes within the school-classroom settings. The appraisal team needs to assess whether critical components affecting quality have been adequately addressed in the plans, from both a short term and long-term perspective. It is necessary to remember that many of the districts would be planning their interventions and activities for quality improvement based on what has already been done earlier in their respective states or districts (DPEP, APPEP, BEP, etc.). 4.2.0.2 Every district plan should focus on important issues/aspects and related intervention strategies for improving the quality of education at both the primary and upper primary stages of education separately. The plan document should highlight and reflect upon certain major components that contribute towards quality improvement within schools and classrooms such as: (a) Vision of Quality Elementary Education (b) Curriculum Renewal Plan (c) Teaching Learning Material (including text books) (d) Teacher Training - perspective and annual plan / calendar (e) Teaching-Learning Process (f) Academic Resource Support Structure (g) Monitoring of Quality Aspects 4.2.0.3 In order to facilitate the planners and appraisers, a general checklist for planners and General appraisal issues have been given under. 4.2.0.4 General Checklist for Planners The plans should clearly indicate the systematic steps/actions taken in developing the plan with special focus on incorporating requirements of the districts, blocks and schools. The help of educational experts, NGOs, community representatives and others may be taken in planning quality-related programmes and interventions. The preparatory exercise such as conduct of pupils’ achievement study, social assessment study, any other studies undertaken to identify the educational needs of the area specially of the special focus groups to plan interventions addressing their needs. The interventions and activities need to be reflected in the plan as per the priorities accorded to them. The details of strategies and steps may be indicated in the plan including the office/agency responsible for implementation. There should be vertical and horizontal linkages in the activities of implementing agencies at various levels in organising the planned activities. Special programmes/interventions for strengthening quality of upper primary stage of education. The activities and costing in the plan should be as per SSA norms. In case, any diversions from the SSA norms are suggested in the plan, full justifications should be given. 4.2.0.5 General Appraisal Issues Has a systematic process of planning been followed and a list of experts including community representatives who participated in planning provided in the plan? Have some preparatory exercise such as study of pupils’ achievement, social assessment study etc. been undertaken to support interventions? Has the plan indicated sequence of activities with priorities to them for quality improvement endeavour? Does the plan reflect district specific interventions and strategies? Does the state have full-fledged academic institutions at state, district and sub-district levels to undertake academic exercises? Is the focus on specific issues for the primary and upper primary stages of education incorporated in the plan separately? Is there a detailing out of activities for implementing a particular strategy given in the plan, if so are they realistic and feasible within the stated time period? 4.2.0.6 After discussing the general issues, component wise checklist and appraisal issues have been given. 4.2.1 Vision of Quality Elementary Education 4.2.1.1 A clear vision and understanding of the quality elementary education at state, district, sub-district and school levels are the pre-requisite for planning quality improvement interventions. This can be done if a core group of educational visionaries and workers in the state get together on a regular basis, identify the emerging crucial pedagogical issues in elementary education, debate on them from different angles and suggest interventions and strategies to address the issues. Such resource groups at different levels can play the crucial role in the exercise. The State Resource Group for pedagogical renewal may have members from SCERT, SPO, DIETs, educationists, NGOs teachers, community representatives/PRIs etc. from across the state. They may also take into account findings of studies on education, different resource materials and identify the educational needs of children and aspirations of the communities to visualise quality elementary education. 4.2.1.2 Similarly, the district resource groups and academic resource groups at block and cluster levels can play similar important roles at their respective levels. They all should collaborate with each other and share their experiences and expertise on a regular basis. This will help in incorporating the societal needs and vision of quality elementary education in the plan. 4.2.1.3 Planners Checklist Academic Resource Groups at the state (SRG), district (DRG), block (BRG) and cluster (CRG) have important roles to play in the planning and implementation process. The plan should indicate the frequency of meetings of the core groups to develop their vision, pedagogical understanding, collective planning and initiatives towards quality improvement. The vision of sub-district levels should also find place in the district plan. The plan should have flexibility to accommodate the sub-district and community visions in the plan and their implementation. The process of evolving the vision at various levels may be explained. 4.2.1.4 Appraisal Checklist Does the plan explain the process of developing the state vision of quality elementary education? Has the plan indicated the process through which the vision of district and sub-district levels as well as of the communities, NGOs etc. been taken care of while stating the state vision? Has the vision of quality elementary education discussed/shared with the concerned persons at different levels? Have the core-groups of experts and educationists identified at various levels specially at the state level to develop vision and plan? Has the vision sufficient flexibility to provide opportunity to the sub-district structure to incorporate and implement contextual interventions? Has the state core-group been exposed to best practices in education? Has the state planned for their exposure to the best of resources available all round? 4.2.2 Curriculum Renewal Plan 4.2.2.1 One of the most important determinants of the quality of education is the curriculum followed in the school. The development of curriculum is a continuous process of evolving to suit the learning needs of children within the broad framework of the National Policy on Education, 1986. Curriculum revision is one of the most direct ways of promoting quality improvement. 4.2.2.2 Under SSA, the focus is on decentralizing the curriculum and making it relevant to the local specific context as per the life and environment of the child. This highlights the need for a flexible mode of curriculum review, reform and renewal. The curriculum renewal process becomes all the more important in the present context with the development of the National Curriculum Framework for School Education, 2000 by the NCERT. 4.2.2.3 The curriculum renewal has to be undertaken at the state level based on the National Curriculum Framework on one hand and incorporating the state vision of quality elementary education on the other. The main challenge is thus, in decentralising the curriculum renewal process at the district level to incorporate district specific elements within the broad framework of National Curriculum Framework. 4.2.2.4 While planning at the district level it is important to look at the state’s curriculum and see if it really fulfills the basic needs and aspirations of all groups of children with divergent socio-cultural backgrounds in the district concerned. The district will adopt the state curriculum but at the same time ensure the fulfillment of the learning needs of all the children in the 6 to 14 age groups including the tribal children, children on the boarder areas and in multi-lingual situations in the district. The salient features of the curriculum may also be highlighted in the plan document so that the appraisers understand the approach to curriculum renewal proposed by the state. 4.2.2.5 Planners Checklist Clear statement of policy decision at the state level regarding curriculum renewal or change. Reflection of the state vision regarding basic changes proposed in the curriculum specially in the context of education of special focus group and communities. Process of identification of educational needs of all children in general and children of special focus groups in particular. Constitution of a core-group of curriculum framers at the state level and decentralised curriculum renewal at the district level as well as the strategy for their capacity building and consultations. Visualisation of systematic steps for curriculum renewal. The consultation of the draft curriculum with the cross section of the people – target groups, teachers, training institute at different level etc. The institutional arrangement for curriculum renewal exercise and collaboration of academic institutions. 4.2.2.6 Appraisal Checklist Has the state formulated a policy for curriculum revision? Has the curriculum of both the primary and upper primary stages of education been reviewed? If not, is there a plan for this activity to be taken up by the state-district? Has the curriculum review process been planned keeping in view the 'new pedagogic vision? Has the state conducted any study to identify the learning needs of children and societal needs? Have curriculum experts/groups been identified at the state/district level? Are there any amendments visualized so as to make the curriculum more district/local context specific? Are any activities planned for the discussion with teachers, administrators, BRC, CRC personnel etc. regarding the curriculum review and renewal to be undertaken? Is the process of curriculum renewal/change planned in a feasible sequential manner? How participative is the curriculum development/finalisation process? Is there any plan for capacity building of those personnel to be involved in the curriculum development/renewal process? Are experts available for capacity building of different levels of functionaries in this operational area? It is possible that curriculum review may have already been done under the DPEP or the renewal process is already underway. Is this mentioned in the plan and has any reference been made as to how the state/district proposes to utilize and consolidate on the past experiences. 4.2.3 Teaching Learning Material (including text books) 4.2.3.1 Teaching Learning Materials (TLM) is an important vehicle that helps in delivering the curriculum to the child in the classroom. Teaching learning materials include a wide variety of items such as textbooks, work books, teachers’ guides, teaching aids, learning aids (concrete material), educational kits, supplementary reading material, usable blackboard, etc which are either directly or indirectly used by the teacher and/or child in the classroom situation. Out of all the above mentioned materials, it has been observed that the textbook is the main or sometimes the only tool which is available and is being used for teaching learning. Since teaching learning material play a crucial role in actual curriculum transaction both at the primary and the upper primary stages, it becomes necessary to assess the type, availability, suitability and usability of existing materials. 4.2.3.2 This exercise becomes all the more necessary in view of the provision for an annual grant of Rs.500/- to every teacher for the purpose of purchasing and developing teaching learning materials under SSA. To ensure proper use of this grant by each and every teacher, certain basic issues need to be considered. 4.2.3.3 The development of textbooks is undertaken by various agencies in the states. In most of the states, they are developed by the SCERTs while in other states by the State Text Book Bureau or State Board of School Education. Development of textbooks inline with the state curriculum is a specialised job, which needs the help and the association of experts in different subject areas as well as the pedagogy. It is therefore, desirable to take the help of experts in planning the activities for textbook development. 4.2.3.4 Planners Checklist Indication of the state policy regarding development of textbooks as well as the agency to undertake the exercise. Basic approach to textbook writing, number of the textbooks for each class, specific material to be developed for different target groups etc. to be mentioned in the plan. Identification of textbook writers and strategy for developing common approach to textbook writing. Clear visualisation of systematic steps for textbook writing with target dates for each activity. Strategy for involvement of teachers and other field functionaries in textbooks development process. Strategy for trialling of textbooks in the schools and necessary modifications to be carried out before printing them. 4.2.3.5 Appraisal Checklist Does the state have a clear policy strategy on TLM to support classroom transaction? Has sufficient scope been provided in the plan for consultations in order to develop a common understanding of approach to be adopted in writing of textual materials? Is TLM preparation envisaged in view of curriculum development/renewal? Have previous experiences (if any) in TLM preparation and usage been incorporated into the existing plans? If textbook renewal and production is to be undertaken, is the time frame provided adequate? Is there any process indicated to ensure timely supply of textbooks to all children? Is the development of textbooks and other materials to be undertaken in a centralized or decentralized participatory manner or by a central agency? What is the role envisaged by the state/district for the teacher in development of TLM? Are any activities being planned for developing their capacities/skills? Who is to conduct training of teachers in the preparation and usage of TLM? Do the trainers have the requisite capacity and expertise? Has the schedule to conduct workshops, meetings etc. included in the plan? If any new TLM development is being proposed, is there a proper sequencing of activities? Is trialing a part of the process? Is there any plan for developing and/or supplying TLM for special focus groups, i.e., children with special needs, girls, tribals, etc. as well as for handling multi-grade and multi-level situations. If new books have already been prepared or are nearing completion, have teacher-training programmes planned to capacitate the teachers to handle the new text books ? Have any workshops been planned for enhancing teachers’ skills in developing low cost, local specific support material? 4.2.4 Teacher Training - perspective and annual plan / calendar 4.2.4.1 It is universally acknowledged that the teacher plays the pivotal role in teaching learning process and is thereby instrumental in the improvement of quality within classrooms. In the classroom setting, teachers' competence depends greatly on their knowledge and skills in different subject areas, mastery of the same and pedagogical practices they adopt. In addition, teachers' attitude towards children, their level of motivation, interest, commitment and ability to interact with parents and community members also contributes to the quality of teaching learning in classrooms. 4.2.4.2 Teachers' level of competency, in turn, depends largely on two aspects pre-service education and the in-service training they have been exposed to before and after joining the teaching profession. At times, teachers have had no pre-service education or are not adequately prepared to face the new challenges in the classrooms. The curriculum reform and development of new sets of textbooks in the states demand proper training of teachers to cope up with the new developments. 4.2.4.3 In view of the above, in-service training becomes a necessity. It is important to find out if a comprehensive training plan has been developed by the district for the training of various categories of teachers - new, already in service, headmasters, para-teachers, etc. 4.2.4.4 Planners Checklist The immediate and long-term needs of the teachers and teacher educators need to be identified and spelt out in the plans. Existing capacity at district and sub-district level structures for the training of teachers and their preparedness should be mentioned. While narrating about any training programme the plan should mention the target groups, duration, frequency and venue of the training programmes. Background of the trainers, their number and suitable institutions to conduct the training need to carefully chosen. Therefore action for the preparation and capacity building of trainers may also be reflected in the plan. Suitability and availability of training materials during the training programmes is also an important issue. The approach and strategy to develop/modify the teacher training materials. Support and follow up mechanism need to be clearly spelt out while conceptualising any training programme. Diagnosis of pupil deficiencies and remediation/enrichment programmes also are needed in each training programme. Specialised training programmes for the teachers to handle children of special focus groups. Capacity building programme for upper primary teachers. Training strategy for para and EGS teachers. 4.2.4.5 Appraisal Checklist Has a study been planned to assess teachers' competencies and training needs at both the primary and upper primary levels? What mechanism has been visualised for the effective linkages between the programme of SCERT/DIETs and BRCs/CRCs? What approach and mechanism is planned for the development/revision of training courses and training materials? Is there sufficient expertise/capacity available at different levels to provide training to teachers in all the subject areas and pedagogic concerns identified by the state-district? How many and what types of training programmes have been developed at the state/district level? Do they address the basic issues/training needs that have been identified? Are the unit costs, period and budgeting for teacher training as per the SSA norms? What kind of model - cascade or any other type - is envisaged for teacher training from the district to the school level? Are the activities planned for sequential in nature? Are the training needs for all the levels being addressed? Does the plan give details of the training schedule and responsibility centres? Is there any kind of prioritization and phasing in the plan for training programmes along with sequencing of activities according to the training needs at different stages of education and operational areas? Have training programmes been planned for newly recruited teachers, those already in service as per the SSA norms (20 days, 30 days, 60 days training programmes)? Is there any mechanism in place/planned for providing on-site support and monitoring of teachers after training is conducted? Do the sub-district structures and personnel (BRC, CRC, etc.) have sufficient and relevant capacity for providing on-site academic support to teachers after training? Is there any plan for utilizing the feedback received regarding training for further improvement of future training programmes? Has any separate training programme been visualised for the upper primary teachers? Does the plan propose specific training programmes for the education of special focus groups such as tribals, physically challenged children etc? Is there any detail of the training programmes for para-teachers and teachers of EGS centres? 4.2.5 Teaching-Learning Process 4.2.5.1 All pedagogic interventions and inputs should result in quality improvement that should be ultimately visible within the classroom settings over a period of time. What happens within the classrooms in terms of the teaching-learning processes and classroom interaction is of utmost importance since it reflects the culmination of all the strategies planned for by the district. It is the classroom that provides the setting for all teaching learning activities. Thus, the more effective the classroom processes the better the learning outcomes. It is imperative, therefore, to know and understand how classroom transactions are conducted and managed, what kind of classroom environment exists, what are the various teaching-learning strategies generally used by teachers in classroom transaction and level of children's participation amongst other aspects, so that all can be improved upon. Some of the vital aspects that need to be focused upon for understanding teaching learning process within classrooms are: Classroom environment (including physical and social) Classroom organization and management (seating arrangement, layout, organisation of teaching-learning groups, display

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