Year End Review 2022 - Ministry of Education

• 10 Jan 2023

For Prelims: Samagra Shiksha, PRASHAST Mobile App, RTE Act, 2009, Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidvalavas (KGBVs), National Achievement Survey (NAS) 2021, National Education Policy (NEP)

For Mains: Significance of Samagra Shiksha, Prashast Mobile App, Parakh Program and other initiatives of the Ministry of Education.

Samagra Shiksha

• The Centrally sponsored scheme of Samagra Shiksha of the Department of School Education and Literacy (DoSE&L) is an overarching program for the school education sector extending from pre-school to class XII.
• It has been aligned with the recommendations of the National Education Policy: 2020 (NEP: 2020) and extended from 2021-22 to 2025-26.
• ICT and smart class approvals:
  • Under the Information & Communication Technology (ICT) component of the Samagra Shiksha Scheme, there is a provision to impart computer literacy and computer-enabled learning to children, by developing and deploying curriculum-based interactive multimedia, digital books, virtual labs etc. across the country.
  • It envisages covering all Government/Government-aided schools with classes VI to XII.
• Pariksha Pe Charcha, is a unique interactive program of Hon’ble Prime Minister of India. In this program PM interacts with students, teachers and parents.

PRASHAST Mobile App – “Pre-Assessment Holistic Screening Tool”

• DoSE&L has launched a Disabilities Screening Checklist for Schools and an Android Mobile App titled as PRASHAST Mobile App – “Pre-Assessment Holistic Screening Tool” for schools during Shikshak Parv, 2022.
• PRASHAST App will help in screening 21 disability conditions recognized in RPwD Act, 2016, at the school level and will generate the school-wise report.
• It has been developed by CIET, NCERT.

Amendment in RTE Act, 2009 (Pupil Teacher Ratio)

• The schedule to RTE Act, 2009 has been amended regarding pupil teacher ratio for special educators in general schools.
• One special education teacher for every ten pupils with disabilities enrolled at primary level and one special education teacher for every fifteen pupils with disabilities enrolled at upper primary level.

Up-Gradation of Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidvalavas (KGBVs)

• KGBVs are residential schools under Samagra Shiksha, for girls from class VI to XII belonging to disadvantaged groups such as SC, ST, OBC, Minority and Below Poverty Line (BPL).

PARAKH

• In view of implementation of NEP 2020, a new National Assessment Centre, PARAKH (Performance Assessment, Review, and Analysis of Knowledge for Holistic Development) will be set up as a standard-setting body under the Ministry of Education in NCERT.
• This center will work for setting norms, standards, and guidelines for student assessment and evaluation for all recognized school boards of India, hand holding the States and undertaking the National Achievement Survey (NAS).

National Achievement Survey (NAS) 2021

• The Government of India has been implementing a program of sample based National Achievement Survey (NAS) aimed at classes III, V, VIII and X with a cycle period of three years.
• The NAS 2021 has covered:
  • Government Schools (Central Government and State Government)
  • Government Aided Schools
  • Private Unaided Schools
  • Subjects covered are Language, Mathematics & EVS for class 3 & 5.
  • Language, Mathematics, Science & Social Science for class 8.
  • Language, Mathematics, Science, Social Science and English for class 10.

Implementation of National Education Policy (NEP)

• NEP Implementation Plan ‘SARTHAQ’ (Students’ and Teachers’ Holistic Advancement through Quality Education) was released.
• A National Foundational Literacy and Numeracy Mission named as ‘National Initiative for Proficiency in Reading with Understanding and Numeracy - (NIPUN BHARAT).
  • It was launched for ensuring that every child in the country necessarily attains foundational literacy and numeracy in Grade 3 by 2026-27.
• NCERT has developed a 3 Months Play Based ‘School Preparation Module’ named ‘Vidya Pravesh’.
• Foundational Learning Study (FLS) to assess the learning level of Class 3 students in Foundational Literacy and Numeracy was administered by MoE and NCERT in collaboration with States/UTs across all Indian States and Union Territories under the NIPUN-BHARAT Mission.
• To connect the Government and Government aided schools through a community/volunteer management program, the Department has revamped the Vidyanjali web portal.
• The newly introduced portal - Vidyanjali 2.0 aims to help the community/volunteers interact and connect directly with schools of their choice to share their knowledge and skills as well as contribute in the form of assets/material/equipment.
• NISHTHA 4.0 (ECCE) – Online: Teacher training programme for Early Childhood Care and Education has been launched with 6 modules.

PM Schools for Rising India (PM SHRI)

• The Cabinet approved a newly centrally sponsored scheme called PM SHRI.
• These schools will showcase the implementation of the National Education Policy 2020 and emerge as exemplary schools over a period of time.
• They will provide leadership in their respective regions in providing high-quality education in an equitable, inclusive and joyful school environment that takes care of the diverse background, multilingual needs, and different academic abilities of children and makes them active participants in their own learning process as per the vision of NEP 2020.
• The duration of the scheme is proposed to be from 2022-23 to 2026-27; after which it shall be the responsibility of the States/UTs to continue to maintain the benchmarks achieved by these schools.

Adult Education

• New India Literacy Programme (NILP):
  • Keeping in view the recommendations of NEP, 2020 and UNESCO Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4.6, a centrally sponsored scheme“New India Literacy Programme”(NILP).
  • The scheme has five components:
    • Foundational Literacy and Numeracy
    • Critical Life Skills
    • Vocational Skills Development
    • Basic Education
    • Continuing Education
• The NILP provides for Involvement of school students, pre-service students of Higher Education Institutions (HEIs), school teachers, Aganwadi and ASHA workers, NYKS, NSS, NCC volunteers.
• Priority will be given to girls and women, SC/ST/OBC/Minorities, Persons with Special Needs/Divyangjans (Disabled persons), marginalized / nomadics / construction workers / laborers etc.
• Use of ICT and online implementation of the scheme through ‘Online Teaching Learning and Assessment System’ (OTLAS)
• Sample achievement survey: Sample achievement survey will be held every year for 500-1000 randomly selected learners from each State/UT.

Statistical Profile of School Education in India

• UDISE PLUS
  • DoSE&L collects annual data on important parameters relating to school education from all recognized schools through Unified District Information System for Education Plus (UDISE+).
  • UDISE+ has inbuilt validation checks and subsequent data verification at the Block, District and State level before being finalized at National level.
• Performance Grading Index (PGI)-State:
  • The Performance Grading Index (PGI) developed by DoSE&L.
  • It aims to assess the relative performance of all the States/UTs in a uniform scale to encourage States/UTs to perform better.
  • The new PGI structure covers 73 indicators, focused more towards qualitative assessment besides including digital initiatives and teacher education.
• Performance Grading Index District (PGI-D):
  • The PGI-D is crafted with a more focused objective of assessing districts on a common parameter with attention now shifting towards outcome measurement of educational policies.
  • The PGI-D structure comprises total weight age of 600 points across 83 indicators, which are grouped under 6 categories viz., Outcomes, Effective Classroom Transaction, Infrastructure Facilities & Student’s Entitlements, School Safety & Child Protection, Digital Learning and Governance Process.
  • PGI-D grades the districts into ten grades viz highest achievable Grade is called Daksh, which is for Districts scoring more than 90% of the total points in that category or overall.
  • The lowest grade in PGI-D is called Akanshi-3 which is for scores upto10% of the total points.