HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar on Monday informed lok Sabha that the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) has been implemented in 3.63 lakh schools across the country. The SSA, a programme for universalisation of elementary education, has enabled 2.04 lakh primary and 1.59 lakh upper primary schools across the country to ensure universal access to education, he said detailing the statistics of implementation.
Universal enrollment is the first goal of SSA and all efforts are being made to bring all children, including girls, to school, he said during Question Hour in lok Sabha, amidst noisy protests by the Opposition over demonetisation issue. Javadekar said SSA strategies for promotion of girls education include opening of schools in the neighbourhood to make access easier for girls, appointment of additional teachers, including women teachers, free textbooks, free uniforms, separate toilets for girls, teachers sensitisation programmes to promote girls participation, gender-sensitive teaching-learning materials, including textbooks.
In addition, the Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalays have been opened in educationally backward blocks where female rural literacy rate is below the national average to provide residential upper primary schools for girls from SC/ST/OBC/ Muslim and BPl families.
The Minister said under the mid-day meal scheme, central financial assistance is being provided to all States and UTs for implementation of the scheme.
Under the scheme, all States and UTs were providing mid-day meals to children, including adolescent girls studying in class-I to VIII of Government, Government aided, special training centres and madrasas and Maqtabs under the SSA.
Javadekar also said about 13.58 crore children in 11.08 lakh Government schools have access to gender segregated toilets.
Under Swachh Vidyalaya initiative, 4,17,796 toilets were constructed in 2,61,400 elementary and secondary Government schools between August 2014 and August 2015, thus ensuring that every Government school has separate functional toilets for girls and boys, he said.