Samagra Shiksha Scheme

Core Objective 

Salient Features of the Scheme

• Support implementation of National Education Policy 2020 recommendations.
• Facilitate implementation of the RTE Act, 2009.
• Strengthen Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE).
• Promote Foundational Literacy and Numeracy (FLN).
• Foster holistic, inclusive, activity-based learning and 21st-century skills.
• Improve quality of education and learning outcomes.
• Bridge social and gender gaps in school education.
• Ensure equity and inclusion at all levels.
• Strengthen State Councils for Educational Research and Training (SCERTs)/State Institutes of Education and District Institutes for Education and Training (DIET).
• Provide a safe, secure, and conducive learning environment.
• Promote vocational education and skill development.

About Samagra Shiksha Scheme

• Launch Year: 2018. 
• Ministry: Ministry of Education
• Aim: To universalize access to school education; to promote equity through the inclusion of disadvantaged groups and weaker sections, and to improve the quality of education across all levels of school education from pre-primary to class XII.
• Type: Centrally Sponsored Scheme.
• Implementing agency: 
  • State Level: State Implementation Society (SIS) at the State/UT level.
  • National Level: Governing Council (GC) headed by Minister of Education and a Project Approval Board (PAB) headed by Secretary, Department of School Education and Literacy.
• Fund Sharing Pattern:
  • NE & Himalayan States: 90:10 sharing between Centre and States.
  • Union Territories without a legislature: 100% Central assistance.
  • All Other States: 60:40 sharing between Centre and States.

• It subsumed the erstwhile Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan, and Teacher Education Scheme.
  • Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan: Universalizes elementary education with infrastructure support per RTE Act, 2009.
  • Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA): Enhances access and quality of secondary education.
  • Teacher Education Scheme: Develops infrastructure for teacher training and academic support for elementary and secondary schools.
• Coverage: The scheme covers 11 lakh 60 thousand schools, more than 15 crore 56 lakh students and 57 lakh teachers from government and government-aided schools.

Key Interventions: 

• Universalising access to quality education: By provision for new/ upgradation of schools from pre-primary to senior secondary level.
• Focus on Girl Education: Upgradation of Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalayas (KGBVs).
• Inclusive Education: Supporting Children with Special Needs (CWSN) in schools at all levels Classes-I to XII.
• Nipun Bharat (National Mission on Foundational Literacy and Numeracy) has been launched under the scheme.
• Strengthening of Teacher Education and Training:
  • Specific training modules under NISHTHA (National Initiative for School Heads' and Teachers' Holistic Advancement) scheme of National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) for training secondary teachers and primary teachers.
• Innovation:
  • Support for the activities of National Assessment Centre, PARAKH (Performance, Assessment, Review and Analysis of Knowledge for Holistic Development).
  • Provision for qualitative and innovative interventions such as Holistic Progress Card (HPC), sports grant, library grant etc.
  • Appointment of language teachers has been added to the scheme.
• Digital Initiatives: Information Communication and Training (ICT) laboratory, smart classrooms with digital boards, virtual classrooms etc.