Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan

      Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan is the National flagship Programme to achieve Universal Elementary Education in a mission mode. The Sarva Shiksha Abhiyaan is also known as the movement or 'Each One Teach One'. It was introduced in 2000-2001 as the flagship programme run by the Government of India. This scheme is framed to provide useful and relevant elementary education for all children in the age group of six to fourteen by 2010.

v Aim and Objectives of SSA:-

The SSA programme is an Endeavour to provide an opportunity for improving human capabilities of all children, through the provision of community-owned quality education in a mission mode. The Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan had been set with specific targets. These are:

• All children in school, Education Guarantee Centre, Alternate School or 'Back-to-School' camp by 2003.
• All children complete five years of primary schooling by 2007.
• 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 the primary stage by 2007 and at the elementary education level by 2010.
• Universal retention by 2010.
• To bridge social, regional and gender gaps, with the active participation of the community in the management of schools.
• To support pre-school learning in ICDS centers or special pre-school centers in non ICDS areas.
• To supplement the efforts of the Ministry of Women and Child Development.

v The goals of SSA:-

·         All 6-14 age group children in school/EGS (Education Guarantee Scheme) centre/bridge course by 2005.

·         Bridge all gender and social category gaps at primary stage by 2007 and at elementary education level by 2010; universal retention by 2010.  

·         Focus on elementary education of satisfactory quality with emphasis on education for life.

v Interventions For Children With Special Needs:-

SSA ensures that every child with special needs, irrespective of the kind, category and degree of disability, is provided education in an appropriate environment.  SSA adopts ‘zero rejection’ policy so that no child is left out of the education system. The thrust of SSA provides integrated and inclusive education to all children with special needs in general schools.  It also support a wide range of approaches, options and strategies for education of children with special needs.  This includes education through open learning system and open schools, non formal and alternative schooling, distance education and learning, special schools, wherever necessary, home based education, itinerant teacher model, remedial teaching, part time classes, community based rehabilitations (CBR) and vocational education and cooperative programmers.

v Components of the programme:-    

·         Early detection and identification: A concerted drive to detect children with special needs at an early age should be undertaken through PHCs, ICDS, ECCE centers and other school readiness programmes. Identification of children with special needs should become an integral part of the micro-planning and household surveys.

·         Functional and formal assessment of each identified child should be carried out. A team should be constituted at every block to carry out this assessment and recommend most appropriate placement for every child with special needs.

·         Educational Placement: As far as possible, every child with special needs should be placed in regular schools, with needed support services.

·         Aids and appliances: All children requires assistive devices should be provided with aids and appliances, obtained as far as possible through convergence with the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, State Welfare Departments, National Institutions or NGOs.

·         Support services: Support services like physical access, resource rooms at cluster level, special equipment, reading material, special educational techniques, remedial teaching, curricular adaptation or adapted teaching strategies could be provided.

·         Teacher training: Intensive teacher training should be undertaken to sensitize regular teachers on effective classroom management of children with special needs. This training should be recurrent at block/cluster levels and integrated with the on-going in-service teacher training schedules in SSA. All training modules at SCERT, DIET and BRC level should include a suitable component on education of children with special needs.

·         Resource support: Resource support could be given by teachers working in special schools.  Where necessary, specially trained resource teachers should be appointed, particularly for teaching special skills to children with special needs.  Wherever this option is not feasible, long term training of regular teachers should be undertaken.

·         Individualized Educational Plan (IEP): An IEP should be prepared by the teacher for every child with special needs in consultation with parents and experts.  Its implementation should be monitored from time to time.  The programme should test the effectiveness of various strategies and models by measuring the learning achievement of children with special needs periodically, after developing indicators.

·         Parental training and community mobilization: Parents of children with disabilities should receive counseling and training on how to bring them up and teach them basic survival skills.  Strong advocacy and awareness programs should form a part of strategy to educate every child with special needs.  A component on disability should be included in all the modules for parents, VEC and community.

·         Planning and management: Resource groups should be constituted at state, district levels to undertake effective planning and management of the programmes in collaboration with PRIs and NGOs. An apex level resource group at the national level to provide guidance, technical and academic support to children with special needs under SSA may be constituted.

·         Strengthening of special schools: Wherever necessary, special schools may be strengthened to obtain their resource support, in convergence with departments and agencies working in that area.  

·         Removal of Architectural barriers:     Architectural barriers in schools will be removed for easy access.  Efforts will be taken to provide disable-friendly facilities in schools and educational institutions.  Development of innovative designs for schools to provide an enabling environment for children with special needs should also be a part of the programme.

·         Research: SSA encourages research in all areas of education of children with special needs including research for designing and developing new assistive devices, teaching aids special teaching material and other items necessary to give a child with disability equal opportunities in education.

·         Monitoring and evaluation: On-going monitoring and evaluation should be carried out to refine the programme from time to time.  For this, appropriate monitoring mechanisms should be devised at every level and field tested at regular intervals.

·         Girls with disabilities: Special emphasis must be given to education of girls with disabilities.

v Conclusion:-

All activities, interventions and approaches in the area of education for children with special needs will be implemented in convergence with existing scheme like Assistance to Disabled Persons for purchase/fittings of Aids/Appliances (ADIP), Integrated Education of the Disabled Children (IEDC) and in coordination with the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, State Department of Welfare, National Institutions and NGOs.

Expenditure upto Rs. 1200 per disabled child could be incurred in a financial year to meet the special learning needs of such children.  The ceiling on expenditure per disabled child will apply at the district level.