EDUCATION/MINORITY EDUCATION - 2008
(January to December 2008)
Compiled By
K. SAMU
Human Rights Documentation,
Indian Social Institute, Lodi Road, New Delhi, India
Orissa’s spending on education drops (11)
Bhubaneswar, Jan. 1: School education in Orissa has not grown significantly in the past one
decade. The sector is besieged with some perennial problems like poor infrastructure, inadequate
equipment, single-teacher staff, a high rate of absenteeism and too many vacancies. A study
prepared by a voluntary organisation reveals that the state’s spending has dropped from 13.5 per
cent in 1995-96 to 9.3 per cent in 2007-08. The study reports, released here on Tuesday , says
primary education in the state continues to be a low-priority area. It also says despite several
efforts there are about 6,00,000 children aged between five and 13 are still out of school. About
15,000 primary schools in the state do not have a pucca building, while two per cent primary
schools do not have any building at all, the study reveals. (Asian Age 2/1/08)
Big thrust to secondary education planned (11)
New Delhi, Jan. 2: So far, it’s been elementary education that’s been focused upon by the Centre
and the states through the former’s flagship Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) programme. But now,
the government is all set to provide an equal thrust to secondary education in the 11th Plan with
the Scheme for Universalitsation of Access for Secondary Education (SUCCESS) it hopes to
launch in 2008-09. Of course, the task will be Herculean, given that the proposed scheme plans
to universalise access to secondary education to students in the 15-16 age group (Classes 9 and
10) by providing a secondary school within five kilometres of any habitation and a higher
secondary school within seven kilometres of any habitation. The government will also be hoping
to ensure universal retention by 2020, said a senior official of the Union ministry of human
resource development. Given the scale of the scheme, the ministry has proj