HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar has emphasized that improvement of quality at all levels is the theme of the whole education reforms and that is the thrust of the government. He said that there has been 25% more allocation made for education and we are progressing towards the expenditure 6% of GDP.
Some of the initiatives being undertaken by the Ministry are:
Learning Outcomes are assessment standards indicating the expected levels of learning that children should achieve for that class. These indicators can be used as check points to assess learning at different points of time and should be the point of reference for assessment of learning. The learning outcomes for students at elementary level have been finalised and they will be included in the Central Rules of the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE), Act, 2009.
It is proposed to conduct an Annual Survey of Learning Outcomes (ASLO) through a third party. It will be conducted in all 36 States and UTs in sample Government and aided schools. This assessment will be bench-marked against the learning outcomes already finalised and will be a granular and diagnostic tool to identify students who need additional support to achieve the required learning levels and to assist teachers in identifying the gaps in the teaching-learning process.
The Innovation Fund for Secondary Education would be provided from the budget of Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA) Scheme to encourage local innovation for ensuring universal access, gender parity and quality improvement, to be introduced in 3479 educationally backward blocks and Rs. 100 Crore have been earmarked for this in the Budget 2017-18.
(a) One time allocation would be made to the State/UT under the innovation Fund. The States/UTs would be required to submit a proposal in this regard. The proposals from States will need to include in their proposals innovation element, sustainability etc. The proposals may include projects like:-
- ICT enabled learning tablets/ smart classrooms/ virtual classrooms/ IT based teaching aids for CWSN.
- Enrolment and retention drive for SC/ST/girls/minority students in EBBs.
- Transport facilities for students in difficult areas in EBBs.
- Portacabin residential schools in worst affected LWE districts.
- Guidance and counseling for adolescent children.
- Innovative science labs/ tinkering labs/ robotics labs.
- Boys hostels in EBBs.
(b) A national level committee would be constituted which would be headed by the Additional Secretary- Department of School Education & Literacy, MHRD which would consider and approve the proposals under the Innovation Fund.
National Testing Agency, the outlines of the structure and the tasks to be assigned have by and large been prepared and a proposal will shortly be prepared for processing.
- CBSE is presently being overburdened with conducting multiple examinations for about an estimated 1.12 Crore number of students over the year.
- In the first instance best entrance examinations for streams of higher education, including the IITs, NITs and even university system would be prepared.
- It is hoped that later the Agency will move from being merely an examination body to one that is able to support education system. In other words, providing for including outcome learning and outcome assessments for students and in evolving good examination processes.
