M.P. wins award in primary education
The Hindu, September 15, 1998
Madhya Pradesh with its literacy rate of 28 per cent in women and 44 per cent in general, has won this year's Gold Award under the 'International Innovations Award Programme' of the Biennial Conference of the Common Wealth Association of Public Administration and Management (CAPAM) at Kuala Lampur. It shares the honors with Canada's innovative programme called 'Ontario Delivers'.
Madhya Pradesh's Education Guarantee Scheme (EGS), involving universalising primary education in the State, was chosen to be awarded from among 121 submissions from 24 countries.
The scheme was introduced by the State on January 1, 1997. On August 20, 1998 the State declared that it had reached primary schooling facility (up to class fifth) to all habitations in the State. Till August 19, 279 EGSs came up at the rate of 40 schools per day per year and by August 20, the scheme had mobilised one million children additionally in schools, since commencement, thus enhancing access to primary education and filling a large gap in schooling.
The silver award was won by South Africa's 'New Pension Delivery System' and Australia's 'Victoria's Civic Compliance System'. The Bronze went to Bangladesh for its 'Village pay phones- Grameen Telecom' theme and to Canada's 'School Net Programme'.
announcing this here today, the Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, Mr. Digvijay Singh said the EGS under the Rajiv Gandhi Shiksha Mission of the State Government was chosen the best innovation at the 'International Innovations Award' of the Commonwealth. The scheme is a move to break out of the backward 'BIMARU' States(Bihar, M.P., Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh) mould and to provide primary education to every child.The local community and panchayats were involved in the programme.
He said the effect on the literacy levels following the scheme, would become evident in another two or three years and should be assessed by the Central Government.
Giving details of the award and the scheme, innovators, Ms.Amita Sharma (the Mission Director) and Mr. R Gopalakrishnan (the mission Co-ordinator) said the submissions were based on the criterion of innovation, effectiveness, relevance, significance, replication and appropriateness to context. The award citation recognises the EGC as being "truly innovative and worthy of recognition that accompanies achievments such as in the public sector" and exemplifying the theme of Awards Programme of Service to Public".
The EGS is an innovative strategy for providing primary education to all the children in a quick time bound manner. The scheme stipulates that if a community does not have a schooling facility within one kilometer and if the community demanded a school for its children, then the State would provide a school within 90 days of the demand . There must be at least 40 children in the age group of 6-14 years among the demanding community.
In the case of a tribal area, there must be at least 25 children, as tribal areas are sparsely inhabited.The demand must be accompanied with the list of names of the children to be educated. Along with the demand of the school, the community must also propose the name of the teacher, who should be a local resident and should have passed at least tenth grade.
The demand is presented by the community to the village panchayat which examines and presents it to the block panchayat. If the demand is found valid, then the block panchayat issues a guarantee top the community to provide a school in 90 days time. The community provides the space for learning and also decides the school timing and vacations as per the collective convenience of the learners. With the Government and the community sharing the task of primary schooling, the annual cost of running one EGS school came to only Rs.8,500. The per child investment is only Rs. 200.
Ms. Sharma said time was critical to overcome a huge historical backlog of poor infrastructure . Guarantee of time-a school in 90 days of community demand-is integral to EGS. It ensures that pace is maintained and no backlog remains.
Mr. Gopalakrishnan said the strength of the programme lay in the fact that people were not seen as a problem, but as a solution.
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