Why in the News?
The Supreme Court intervened after Tamil Nadu faced ₹3,000+ crore reimbursements to private schools for economically disadvantaged students’ admissions, as the Centre declined to share costs under Samagra Shiksha.
About Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan:
- Launch & Integration: Started in 2018 (by then Ministry of HRD), integrating Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA), Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA), and Teacher Education (TE) into one holistic programme.
- Benchmark Feature: Treats schooling as a continuous system from pre-primary to Class XII (ages 4–18), removing silos.
- Funding Pattern: A Centrally Sponsored Scheme (CSS) with Centre–State sharing (60:40, 90:10 for NE/hilly states), implemented via a single State Implementation Society (SIS).
- Policy Alignment: Aligned with NEP 2020 and UN SDG-4 (quality education).
- Coverage: 1.16 million schools, 156+ million students, 5.7 million teachers across government & aided institutions.
- Upgraded Phase: Samagra Shiksha 2.0 (2021–26) with focus on digital education, vocational training, FLN, and inclusion.
Key Features of the Scheme:
- Unified Structure: One umbrella for pre-primary to Class XII, ensuring coherent planning.
- Teachers & Technology:
- Continuous teacher training via SCERTs, DIETs, NISHTHA, SWAYAM.
- Digital initiatives: DIKSHA, Operation Digital Board, ICT labs, smart classrooms, AI-based learning tools.
- Foundational Literacy & Numeracy: NIPUN Bharat Mission (ages 3–9) for universal reading & numeracy.
- Vocational & Skill Education: Subjects like coding, robotics, financial literacy, AI with 1000+ training centres (from Class VI).
- Direct Benefit Transfers (DBT): Uniforms, textbooks, transport allowance directly credited via IT platforms.
- Holistic Development: Integration of sports, physical education, self-defence, soft skills under Khelo India.
- Funding Scale: Allocation crossed ₹41,000 crore (2025); nationwide coverage till March 2026 under Samagra Shiksha 2.0.
| [UPSC 2017] What is the aim of the programme ‘Unnat Bharat Abhiyan’?
Options: (a) Achieving 100% literacy by promoting collaboration between voluntary organizations and government’s education system and local communities. (b) Connecting institutions of higher education with local communities to address development challenges through appropriate technologies. * (c) Strengthening India’s scientific research institutions in order to make India a scientific and technological Power. (d) Developing human capital by allocating special funds for health-care and education of rural and urban poor, and organizing skill development programmes and vocational training for them. |
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