RAJASTHAN EDUCATION MINISTER URGES CENTRE TO CONTINUE 75% FUNDING IN SARVA SHIKSHA ABHIYAN
10 Apr
2007
Two day Meet of States' Education Minister begins in New Delhi
KhabarExpres.com, New Delhi, 10 April. Rajasthan Education Minister Shri Ghanshyam Tiwari has urged Centre to continue the funding pattern of Sarva Shisha Abiyan (SSA) in proportion of 75:25 between Centre and States. This view was supported by many education ministers of various states.
Shri Tiwari put his view in two day conference of Education Minister at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi under the chairmanship of Union HRD Minister Shri Arjun Singh.
Immediately after inaugural speech of Shri Arjun Singh, Shri Tiwari queried from Union Human Resource Development Minister whether funding pattern of SSA would be changed from 75:25 to 50:50 between centre and States or not.
The Education Minister cautioned that if the funding pattern of SSA be changed SSA would suffer and State governments might not be able to bear the financial burden. Addressing Union HRD Minister, Shri Tiwari said that if the funding ratio of SSA is reverted to 50:50 from 75:25 between Centre and States, the progress of SSA would be adversely affected.
Shri Tiwari's stand in this concern was supported by various States' Education Ministers saying the sharing ratio of States must not exceed to 25% at any cost.
The Union HRD Minister Shri Arjun Singh assured that his ministry agrees with States' point of view and would continue the funding pattern of 75:25 to make SSA a remarkable success.
Shri Tiwari also demanded to bring secondary education under Sarva Shisha Abiyan and provide assistance to States accordingly. The Minister said that universalization of secondary education is the need of hour. He said it is also essential to promote middle schools into secondary schools. To boost infrastructure facilities eg classrooms, laboratories, libraries, computer and sports grounds central assistance is required, added Shri Tiwari.
Shri Tiwari also raised the issue of delay in releasing States' share and said this delay creates complicacies in execution of SSA.
Shri Tiwari expressed the necessity of launching teachers' training programmes for maintaining qualitative education. In spite of complex geographic surroundings, Rajasthan has been honoured with UNESCO Award in the field of literacy and continuous education. Shri Tiwari informed that number of registration has increased from 88.43 lac in 2001 to 124.7 lac in 2006. Likewise the gap in gender ratio has been reduced to 10.13% in 2006 in comparison to 16.97 percent of 2001. The dropout rate of 2001, 66.15 % has reduced to 34.17 percent in 2006.
In conference Rajasthan's Principle Secretary Education Shri Sudhir Bhargav, Director Literacy and Continuous Education Shri G.P.Shukla and Commissioner of Mid Day Meal Shri Sudhansh Pant are also participating.
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