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Cutting across party lines, Education Ministers of all States and Union Territories today committed themselves to achieve the goal of universalisation of elementary education. Participating in the day-long deliberation here the Ministers talked about various innovative practices being followed in their respective States and made a request for the continuation of Central assistance to implement the programme. Most of the States requested that the funding pattern be continued at the present level even after the current Five Year Plan Period. Some of them also mentioned that they had utilized the amount released. Many States requested that the present funding pattern for programmes connected with improving the educational status of girls be continued, as they were still legging behind.
In their presentations, most of the Ministers again raised the issue of additional support from the Center for implementing schemes like Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) and mid-day meal scheme. Some States even suggested that 100% of the expenditure on elementary education should be borne by the Center and the States could bear the expenditure on higher education. A suggestion was also made for provision of greater flexibility in the norms for SSA keeping in view the problems of special category States like J&K and those in the North East.
Recognizing the enormous potential of EDUSAT, most of the Ministers requested that the uplinking and downlinking facilities be made available by the Center.
In his concluding remarks, the Human Resource Development Minister Shri Arjun Singh said that Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) is the heart and soul of the education system in the country. He made a fervent appeal to all the ministers to implement the programme in their respective states/UTs on a mission mode. On the issue of the funding pattern for the programme, he assured the Ministers that he would take up the issue with the Planning Commission during the mid-term appraisal of the Tenth Plan.
Earlier, in the morning, inaugurating the one-day conference of the Education Ministers of States and Union Territories, Shri. Singh said that a consensus exists on the issue of universalisation of education in the country. He said that Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan is a national goal and political differences should not stymie the implementation of this programme. He said there are still about 81 lakh out - of - school children and efforts must be made to bring all of them to schools to achieve the goals of SSA. Shri. Singh said that the Center has taken bold steps to overcome the resource crunch by levying 2% cess on all taxes and making it a non-lapsable fund. “We have to go beyond paying platitudes and prove ourselves in making SSA a success as we can not take shelter under excuses of resource crunch any more. Failure to discharge our responsibilities will only be interpreted as inefficiency”, he said.
Referring to the HIV/AIDS situation in the country Shri Singh said that there is an urgent need to create greater awareness and educate the youth about AIDS prevention. He said that if actions are not taken now, HIV/AIDS will affect not only the health of the people but also all aspects of national life. He said that Ministry of Health and Family Welfare is preparing a programme on spreading awareness about this deadly disease amongst school children and appealed to the State Education Ministers to work towards making the programme a success.
Moving on to the Mid-day Meal Schemes he said that the primary objective of the programme was two-fold, one – to ensure that all children especially those from the disadvantaged groups to receive nutritious and wholesome diet and two, to increase the enrolment number of children across the country. Therefore, it is necessary that the food served in mid day meal scheme is as close to home-made food as possible, he said.
Shri Arjun Singh made a reference to the successful launching and deployment of the EDUSAT and said that States must take the full advantage of this versatile satellite by helping in producing interesting education programmes.
Speaking on the occasion the Minister of State for Education Shri M.A.A Fatmi stressed the need for constitution of a Central Board for Madrassa Education as also the need for modernization of willing and participating Madrassas by introducing subjects like Science, Mathematics and computer education. He said that the Government is concerned about the low literacy rate among the Muslims and still low literacy rate among the Muslim girls.
Others who spoke on the occasion include the Secretary for Elementary Education, Smt. Kumud Bansal and Education Secretary Shri B.S Baswan.
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