Prime Minister Manmohan Singh may have, in his address to the nation, termed the 11th Five-Year Plan as ?National Education Plan? and reiterated his government?s commitment to ensure that ?every single child, boy or girl, must have access to modern education.?
But Singh?s last Independence Day promise, which he repeated on Friday, to set up 6,000 high quality model schools is stuck because of differences between the Arjun Singh-led human resource development (HRD) ministry and the Planning Commission. So, though a Cabinet note is ready, the model schools are still far from becoming a reality.
The Right to Education (RTE) Bill, 2008, which would ensure education for all, is stuck because the funding pattern for the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA), UPA?s other education flagship programme that the RTE Bill would ride on, is perceived as flawed.
Though the Cabinet took up the RTE Bill last Friday, it decided to refer it to a group of ministers (GoM) in order to evolve a fresh funding pattern for RTE so that the mistakes made under the SSA aren?t repeated. Unless the GoM resolves the issue fast, the Bill may not be introduced in the forthcoming monsoon session of Parliament, as originally envisioned.
As for the model schools, the Centre is yet to decide on key parameters for defining a ?model? school. The HRD ministry?s Cabinet note on the issue is yet to figure on the agenda, thanks to a debate about including the Kendriya Vidyalayas (KVs) among these ?model schools.?
The PM?s original statement said that the scheme would ensure ?at least one model school in each block,? offering classes up to XIIth standard to improve the quality of education.
The finance ministry has already allocated Rs 650 crore in Budget 2008-09 to start the model school scheme. The Planning Commission has put the expenses at Rs 12,550 crore till 2012.
Official sources told FE that the Planning Commission?s view is that KVs should not be taken as model schools as they are elitist with all facilities like labs and computers and would be difficult for other schools to emulate, with limited resources.
Apart from including the existing 850 KVs, the HRD ministry wanted 1,000 more central schools and 700 Navodaya Vidyalayas (state-run residential schools for children in rural areas) to be set up as model schools.
The government?s think-tank believes that before going ahead with the move to set up these schools, the Centre should work out a plan to give additional resources to existing schools so that they can emulate the model schools and have facilities like labs and computers as well. Incidentally, states like Andhra Pradesh are very keen to participate in the scheme.
It is likely that AP, which has 9,000 out of the total 43,000 schools in India, may convert some of its existing schools into ?model? schools.
The HRD ministry has proposed that state governments should run 3,500 schools with proper standards and targets on performance.
The remaining 2,500 schools would be run through public-private partnership as was proposed by the PM and the Planning Commission.
The model schools will have parameters for teacher-student ratios, usage of computer education, and the infrastructure of library and laboratories.
