Despite the government showcasing the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan and midday meal scheme as model schemes in the universalisation of elementary education in India, a report by an expert panel calls them “fraudulent” and plagued by “malpractice and corruption”

The Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) and midday meal schemes being zealously implemented in every district of the country are proving to be a public relations boon for government functionaries. Government reports say the number of out-of-school children, which was 320 lakh in 2001-02, came down to 75.97 lakh in 2007-08. The drop has been largely attributed to these schemes.

This contradicts a report by an expert panel formed by the Union ministry of human resource development that describes the schemes as “fraudulent” and plagued with “malpractice and corruption”. The panel also found discrepancies in the high enrolment and low dropout numbers quoted by several state governments.

Having toured the states of Assam, West Bengal, Jharkhand, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Maharashtra and Karnataka to evaluate implementation of the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan and midday meal scheme, the expert panel rated Karnataka and Maharashtra among the best, while Bihar and Uttar Pradesh are predictably the worst.

It said officials used funds meant to spread primary education through the SSA to buy expensive cars and air-conditioners, to upgrade their offices to the level of those at corporate houses, and to buy photocopiers and fax machines even when not required. While all this went on, the report alleges, “children returned home hungry and deprived of their midday meals”.

“Some officers hired expensive taxis for themselves. What’s worse is that these officials who have been making merry on SSA funds are not even entitled to such benefits,” says Hisam Siddiqui, a member of the expert panel that toured the states. “In almost all states, officials were using expensive cars like Chevrolets and Indigos.”

According to Professor M D Haleen, another member of the panel, while the actual dropout rate in Bihar is 50%-60% in the primary and middle sections, the state government has wrongly projected it as 10%-12% in order to collect more funds.

The panel report, though, gave Maharashtra a satisfactory report card. “Mumbai, Pune and Nagpur regions have strong local bodies and are doing a great job. Also, parents in the state are more vocal and demanding,” Haleen said.

As regards Gujarat, the report says: “The state government did not even release the Centre’s share of money for madrassa modernisation and teacher training schemes for minorities.”

The human resource development ministry, which is still studying the report, claims that although India ranks 105th in the Global Monitoring Report (GMR) 2008, compared to 99th in GMR 2007, its education development index rose from 0.789 to 0.797.

India’s main achievements, according to GMR 2008, are high levels of net enrolments in primary education and significantly improved adult literacy and gender parity. Officials claim the SSA has helped significantly to improve gender parity.

India has 35% of the world’s illiterate population who are also poor and starving. The SSA aims at achieving universalisation of elementary education amongst children in the 6-14 age-group.

The midday meal scheme is for all Class I-IV children at government and government-aided schools, centres under alternative and innovative education and the education guarantee scheme and its extension to upper primary level in 3,479 educationally backward blocks.

The government levies a 2% education cess in order to bridge the gap between available plan resources and establish requirements to finance the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan and midday meal scheme, the two main programmes for universalisation of elementary education.

Source: DNA, April 30, 2008
              Press Information Bureau, April 28, 2008 
              http://www.indiaedunews.net/, April 2008