New Delhi, Nov 18: Incrementalism cannot do it. Innovation can. There have to be different ways of seeing and doing in government.'' That was R Gopalakrishnan, secretary to the Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister, while sharing lessons learnt from his highly successful initiativein the state - the Education Guarantee Scheme (EGS) with the audience at the 7th CII Quality Summit.The Education Guarantee Scheme - which was an effort to respond to the formidable task of universalising primary education in the state in the quickest possible time - aptly mirrored the session's theme: accountability and responsiveness in government.``EGS was an effort to make the state respond to this basic need urgently and make the state accountable for meeting it through a guarantee,'' said Gopalakrishnan.
Started on January 1, 1997, the project guaranteed that wherever there was a demand from 40 children, and no primary schooling facility available within one km of their habitation, schooling facility would be provided within 90 days of receipt of demand.
By August 1998, every habitation in MP had been reached and today, Gopalakrishnan claims that there are over 25,000 EGS schools inthe state.
The problem was addressed by working out methodologies which had people as solutions. The state government partnered with Panchayats and the local community to reach schooling facilities to all its children in the quickest possible time. The local community was to raise the demand and identify a qualified local resident as teacher or Guruji. The Panchayat would verify the demand, appoint the teacher, identify, together with the community, a place to conduct schooling and oversee the school. The state government would facilitate the creation of the school by arranging to pay salaries, train the Guruji, provide free teaching, learning material and supervise the school.
Taking a cue from the EGS model, Gopalakrishnan called upon the CII to unlock individual and community resources to meet many of India's development challenges in the social sector. After breaking records by creating 25,000 primary schools, the Education Guarantee Scheme (EGS), the revolutionary scheme pioneered by the Govt of Madhya Pradesh is all set to get on the Net. The scheme will be formally launched on the website registered as fundaschool.com on December 1, 1999. The legalities are still being worked out.
To build a quality India, he called upon the governments to act differently by:
valuing strategic planning
valuing innovation and creativity.Copyright © 1999 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.