The Hindu Business Line : IBRD clears $500 m for basic education programme

THE World Bank has approved a credit of $500 million to pool funds with the Indian Government and the various States, the European Commission and the UK in support of the country's goal of achieving universal elementary education.

The total cost of the national programme for universal elementary education, termed as `Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan', is $3.5 billion for three-and-a-half years and is aimed at reducing the number of children who are out of school by at least nine million, narrow the gender and social gaps and improve the quality of education.

Speaking on the approval of the credit line which came on Tuesday, the World Bank's Country Director for India, Mr Michael Carter, said that when it came to children not having access to basic education, even in a country as large as India, one child was one too many. According to a World Bank statement here, India has made remarkable progress in education, as evidenced by the decline in the number of out-of-school children in the 6-14 age group from 39 million in 1999 to 25 million in 2003.

Despite this, the country still accounts for a quarter of the world's 104 million out-of-school children.

In 2001, the Government established the national programme for elementary education while in 2002; the Constitution was amended to make elementary education a fundamental right of every child. Specifically, the $500-million credit will be utilised to fund the physical construction and extension of primary and upper primary schools, provision of training in social mobilisation and educational management and payment of salaries for teachers hired under the programme.

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