JOIN USKarnataka is one of the severely underperforming states in the country in terms of achieving its targets of the universal elementary education programmes under the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA), according to a report by the Centre.
The Union Human Resource Development (HRD) Ministry has placed Karnataka on the grade scale of 41-50 out of 100 in a first-ever exercise conducted to evaluate the “half-yearly” progress made by the states and Union Territories against the targets that each of them “agreed upon” to achieve this fiscal so far under the SSA.
According to the grading results finalised by the ministry, Karnataka secured zero scores each for its performance in ensuring display of class-wise learning indicators at the elementary schools in the state, providing in-service training to teachers, bringing out-of-school children back to mainstream education.
The state secured 10 out of 10-grade points each for its achievements in the seeding of the Aadhaar numbers of students, distribution of uniforms and textbooks. The grading results, however, indicated that it failed in its initiatives to link schools in rural areas with those in the urban and semi-urban areas for sharing of best practices and experiences. The ministry has awarded a zero to Karnataka for its initiative on the “twinning of schools” under SSA.
The grading results have placed Karnataka alongside Bihar, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Daman and Diu in terms of the performance shown by them in achieving targets of the SSA.
All the states have been graded under 10 different performance indicators.
West Bengal has been placed at the lowest grading scale of 0-10 with the ministry awarding a zero to the state under each of the 10 performance indicators.
Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Kerala, Maharashtra, Puducherry and Uttarakhand emerged as the best performing states in the highest grade scale of 91-100.
Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Chandigarh, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh and Telangana came second by figuring in the grade scale of 81-90, followed by Lakshadweep, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu 71-80; Assam, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Jharkhand, Manipur, Rajasthan 61-70; Delhi, Mizoram, Odisha, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh 51-60.
“This grading exercise has been developed as a summary of the monitoring efforts of the HRD Ministry. The current review focuses on system strengthening and student entitlements and critical inputs which are critical for systemic changes necessary for realizing the Central Government’s focus on the quality of education being imparted at the elementary education level,” the ministry said in a note on the grading results.
DH News Service