The quality of education in India is being addressed through several significant government programs and policy shifts, primarily driven by the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. These initiatives span from school education to higher education, focusing on access, equity, quality, and outcomes.
Here are some of the major education quality growth programs:
School Education Initiatives
The umbrella scheme in school education that integrates several older programs is:
- Samagra Shiksha: This comprehensive program subsumes the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) and Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA). Its goal is to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education from preschool to senior secondary levels. It focuses on:
- Bridging social and gender gaps.
- Strengthening Teacher Education (TE).
- Promoting digital education and vocational training.
- Improving school infrastructure based on needs identified by the Unified District Information System for Education (UDISE).
Other key schemes for quality and access include:
- Right to Education (RTE) Act, 2009: Mandates free and compulsory education for children aged 6–14 and sets minimum standards for schools, which inherently drives quality improvements.
- PM SHRI Schools: An initiative under NEP 2020 to develop over 14,500 schools as model institutions for holistic learning, focusing on cutting-edge infrastructure and innovative pedagogies.
- Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao (BBBP): Aims to improve the status and education of girls through changing societal attitudes and ensuring enrollment and transition across educational levels.
- Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya (KGBV): Establishes residential schools primarily for girls from disadvantaged communities in rural areas to ensure access to quality education up to Class XII.
Higher Education Initiatives
In higher education, the focus is on infrastructure, research, and governance reforms, often guided by the principles of NEP 2020:
- Revitalizing Infrastructure and Systems in Education (RISE) Scheme: Launched to provide low-cost funding (via the Higher Education Financing Agency – HEFA) for developing infrastructure in institutions like IITs, NITs, and central universities to enhance research facilities and digital capabilities.
- Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA): Aims to improve access, equity, and excellence in state universities and colleges through performance-based funding, faculty training, and establishing model degree colleges.
- Scheme for Promotion of Academic and Research Collaboration (SPARC): Enhances the quality of research by facilitating collaboration between top Indian institutions and the world’s top 500 universities.
- One Nation One Subscription (ONOS) Scheme: A massive effort to provide nationwide access to academic journals, e-books, and research databases to improve research output and quality by democratizing access to knowledge.
- Faculty Development: Initiatives like the Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya National Mission on Teachers and Teaching (PMMMNMTT) and the Integrated Teacher Education Programme (ITEP) focus on improving the quality of teaching and research capabilities of faculty.
The underlying philosophy of these programs is captured by the shift in focus articulated in the NEP 2020—moving from mere schooling/enrollment to ensuring learning outcomes, foundational literacy/numeracy, skill acquisition, and holistic development.
