Question

Write information about primary education.

(A) DPEP program

(B) School nutrition diet

(C) Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan

Answer 1

Primary education, also called elementary education, is for children in kindergarten through sixth grade. Primary education provides students with a basic understanding of various subjects as well as the skills they will use throughout their lives.

(A) DPEP program: In 1994, District Primary Education Programme (DPEP) was started aiming at providing access to primary education to all. This programme was implemented in seven states of Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Haryana and Assam. This programme was aimed at achieving hundred percent registration and attendance of children in primary schools and bringing down the number of drop-outs. This programme was financially supported by the World Bank.

(B) School nutrition diet: This programme was implemented from 15th August 1995, to provide mid-day meals to children in primary schools. Wherever facilities to cook the food in school was not available, food-grains were distributed to each child.

(C) Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan: “Let’s all learn, Let’s all progress” (‘सारे शिकू या, पुढे जाऊ या’) was the motto of this programme. With this motto, the programme was launched in 2001. The right of free education was granted to children in the age group of 6-14 vide the ‘86th Amendment to the Constitution of India’. The main objective of ‘Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan’ was to eliminate the disproportion in the access to primary education. Earlier programmes like ‘Khadu-Phala Yojana’, ‘Mid Day Meal’ were combined with this programme to make it successful. This programme gave special attention to the education of girls and children with special needs (Diyang). To achieve universalisation of education in India, ‘EDUSAT’ (GSAT-3)’, a satellite was launched in 2004. For the purpose of reaching out to children all over the country, six communication zones and accordingly six channels were created. This programme facilitated distance education in regional languages in all parts of the country.