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In the 2022-23 budget, the Centre's share in the Samagra Shiksha budget has been fixed at Rs 37,383 crore, up from Rs 31,050 crore in 2021-22. (Express File/Abhinav Saha) The Centre has urged the states and Union Territories to draw up plans and budgets for the next academic year by expanding the scale of proposed aid to students and teachers and “reimagine” the teaching-learning process keeping the Covid realities in mind.
In its “learning recovery plan”, the Centre has suggested that every student up to the secondary level be provided Rs 500 in the beginning of the next academic session. Currently, under the Nipun Bharat component of Samagra Shiksha, the aid covers children up to class 5. The plan also includes Rs 10,000 each for 25 lakh primary teachers to buy tablets.
The Samagra Shiksha scheme, which encompasses all major policies and programmes in school education, is funded by the Centre and states in a 60:40 ratio. The Ministry of Education did not respond to a question on whether the proposed financial interventions will also be shared between the Centre and the states in the same ratio.
In the 2022-23 budget, the Centre’s share in the Samagra Shiksha budget has been fixed at Rs 37,383 crore, up from Rs 31,050 crore in 2021-22.
The learning recovery plan lays major emphasis on preparing district-level strategies based on the results of the National Achievement Survey carried out in November 2021. The survey, results of which are awaited, was carried out to identify the learning gaps of children in light of the Covid-19 pandemic.
“The national/state and district reports will soon be out. However, states and Union Territories are requested to plan for the post-National Achievement Survey interventions based on the findings and ensure appropriate interventions,” said the plan that was sent to the states on February 1.
The learning recovery plan also includes an oral reading fluency study for children enrolled in class 3 to examine their skills to comprehend written text. Rs 20 lakh should be set aside in the annual plans and budgets of each state and Union Territory to carry out this study, the Centre said.
On Wednesday, the ministry recirculated its modified guidelines on reopening schools, which leave it to the states and Union Territories to decide whether or not to get parents or guardians’ consent before returning to in-person classes. The modified guidelines also nudge schools to focus on reading with comprehension and numeracy, skills affected by the absence of in-person teaching, as found in many surveys such as the Pratham Foundation-led Annual Status of Education Report.
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