TOPIC: GS 2 Issues Relating to Development and Management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health, Education, Human Resources.
What is the news?
Around 50% of the municipal schools not following the RTE Act mandate
Salient features:
- Free and Compulsory education
Every child in the age group of 6-14 has the right to free and compulsory education in a neighbourhood school, till the completion of elementary education
- No screening Procedure
The act prohibits donation, capitation fee, screening test/interview of child or parents for admissions
- Continuous and Comprehensive Evaluation (CCE)
The Act mandates a process of Continuous and Comprehensive Evaluation(CCE) to assess and evaluate the student’s learning instead of conventional examinations
- Infrastructure and Teacher norms
The Act lays down the norms and standards of Pupil Teacher Ratios (PTR is 30), buildings and infrastructure
- 25% Quota for poor
RTE Act mandates unaided and non-minority private schools to keep aside 25% seats for underprivileged children of society through a random selection process
- Role of Parents and Community
The act insists upon schools to constitute School Management Committees (SMCs) comprising local authority officials, parents, guardians and teachers. The SMCs shall form School Development Plans and monitor the utilization of government grants and the whole school environment
Mechanism available if RTE is violated?
The National Commission for the Protection of Child Rights(NCPCR) shall review the safeguards for rights provided under this Act, investigate complaints and have the powers of a civil court in trying cases
Achievements:
- Improvement in GER
The GER increased to 89.7 percent at Upper Primary level, 97.8 percent at Elementary Level
- Improved Infrastructure and Teacher ratio
Pupil-Teacher Ratio improved at all levels of School Education
– PTR for Primary became 26.5
– PTR for Upper Primary became 18.5
- Improved facilities like toilets has reduced drop out rates of Girls and reduced the Gender gap in the attendance
- Decreased Child Labour
Child labour in 2011 has decreased by around 20 percent from 2001 census figures
 Compulsory education till 14 years of age has reduced the incidents of Child Marriages in India
NHFS data revealed a significant decline in the prevalence of child marriage from 2005-06 to 2015-16 (47%to 27%) However, there were many shortcomings in the Implementation of RTE
Way forward
- The focus of the RTE Act must shift from enrolment to attendance and quality.
- There is no database on attendance of students. So, the local authority must maintain a database of student attendance within its jurisdiction
- Time to move from Right to education to Right to Quality education
- Ensuring teachers to complete their basic teacher training
- Using digital Technologies in teaching
- Expanding the ambit of the Act to all children between the ages of three to 18 years, thus including early childhood education and secondary school education.
Change the curriculum framework: The current structure of school education to be restructured based on the development needs of students
The new Education Policy 2020 has made many changes in this direction. Hope this policy will bring quality and inclusive education to Children of India
PRELIMS PUNCHERS
- 1. Central Advisory Board on Culture (CABC)
It was constituted to advise the Ministry of Culture at the policy level to evolve programmes which would focus attention on the creativity at different levels of Indian society, and in different regions, which hitherto has been either neglected or not sustained through the existing institutional mechanisms.
It will examine the extent and manner in which various facets of Indian Culture are being addressed by concerned agencies and help provide inputs for the formulation of new, need-based programmes in the field of culture. To guide the work of the National Missions set up by the Ministry of Culture. The Minister of Culture, GOI is the chairperson of the Board.
Sources : https://pib.gov.in/PressReleaseIframePage.aspx?PRID=1729849
- Indo-Israel Agricultural Project (IIAP)
The Agriculture Ministry, GOI and Mashav (Israel’s agency for International Development Cooperation) are leading Israel’s largest G2G cooperation, with 29 operational Centres of Excellence (COEs) across India in 12 States. They are implementing Advanced-Intensive agriculture farms with Israeli Agro-Technology tailored to local conditions.
The Centres of Excellence generate knowledge, demonstrate best practices and train farmers.
Sources: https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1721269
- 4. National Clean Air Programme (NCAP)
The Central Government launched National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) as a long-term, time-bound, national level strategy to tackle the air pollution problem across the country in a comprehensive manner with targets to achieve 20% to 30% reduction in Particulate Matter concentrations by 2024 keeping 2017 as the base year for the comparison of concentration. Under NCAP, 122 non-attainment cities have been identified across the country based on the Air Quality data from 2014-2018. A list of Smart Cities under the Smart Cities Mission, which are non-attainment cities under National Clean Air Program (NCAP)
Air quality of cities is monitored by State Pollution Control Boards which publishes their results from time to time. Some Smart Cities have established Integrated Command and Control Centres (ICCCs) which are also connected to Air Quality Monitors (AQMs) for effective monitoring.
- PM –KUSUM
Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) has launched the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Urja Suraksha evem Utthan Mahabhiyan (PM KUSUM) Scheme for farmers for installation of solar pumps and grid connected solar and other renewable power plants in the country.
PM-KUSUM Scheme has three Components:
Component-A for Setting up of 10,000 MW of Decentralized Grid Connected Renewable Energy Power Plants on barren land. Component-B for Installation of 17.50 Lakh stand-alone solar agriculture pumps. Component-C for Solarisation of 10 Lakh Grid Connected Agriculture Pumps. The government will provide 60% subsidy to the farmers and 30% of the cost will be given by the government in the form of loan. Farmers will only have to pay 10% of the total cost of the project.
Prelims question
- Consider the following statement regarding National Clean Air Programme (NCAP)
a .Its targets to achieve 20% to 30% reduction in Particulate Matter concentrations by 2025
- Under NCAP, 122 non-attainment cities have been identified across the country based on the Air Quality data from 2014-2018
Select the correct statement using code given below.
(a). 1only      (b) 2 only
(c).Both      (d). None of above
Answer: B
The Central Government launched National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) as a long-term, time-bound, national level strategy to tackle the air pollution problem across the country in a comprehensive manner with targets to achieve 20% to 30% reduction in Particulate Matter concentrations by 2024 keeping 2017 as the base year for the comparison of concentration. Under NCAP, 122 non-attainment cities have been identified across the country based on the Air Quality data from 2014-2018. A list of Smart Cities under the Smart Cities Mission, which are non-attainment cities under National Clean Air Program (NCAP)
Air quality of cities is monitored by State Pollution Control Boards which publishes their results from time to time. Some Smart Cities have established Integrated Command and Control Centres (ICCCs) which are also connected to Air Quality Monitors (AQMs) for effective monitoring.
- Consider the following statement regarding PM –KUSUM
- Ministry of Agriculture has launched the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Urja Suraksha evem Utthan Mahabhiyan (PM KUSUM)
- The government will provide 50 subsidy to the farmers and 30% of the cost will be given by the government in the form of loan. Farmers will only have to pay 20 of the total cost of the project.
Select the correct statement using code given below.
(a). 1only      (b) 2 only
(c).Both      (d). None of above
Answer: D
Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) has launched the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Urja Suraksha evem Utthan Mahabhiyan (PM KUSUM) Scheme for farmers for installation of solar pumps and grid connected solar and other renewable power plants in the country.
PM-KUSUM Scheme has three Components:
Component-A for Setting up of 10,000 MW of Decentralized Grid Connected Renewable Energy Power Plants on barren land. Component-B for Installation of 17.50 Lakh stand-alone solar agriculture pumps. Component-C for Solarisation of 10 Lakh Grid Connected Agriculture Pumps. The government will provide 60% subsidy to the farmers and 30% of the cost will be given by the government in the form of loan. Farmers will only have to pay 10% of the total cost of the project