The Hindu Business Line : CAG terms Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan implementation `inept'

The Comptroller and Auditor-General of India has indicted the Department of Elementary Education of the Ministry of Human Resources Development for its "inept" implementation of the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) - the programme designed to take universal elementary education in mission mode to all children in the age group of 6 to 14 years by 2010.

In its report on the scheme, tabled in Parliament, the CAG said the programme required enormous funding and missionary zeal on the part of implementing agencies including the State Governments. But there was substantial under-funding as the funds made available were short of the requirement approved by the Project Approval Board (PAC).

CAG said under provisioning ranged from 43 to 57 per cent during 2001-02 to 2004-05. Even after four years of the implementation of the scheme and utilisation of almost 86 per cent of the funds available with the implementing agencies, the revised target of SSA to enrol all children in schools, education guarantee scheme, alternative schools, back to school camps by 2005 was not achieved, as there were still 1.36 crore children (40 per cent of the total 3.40 crore children) out of school in the 6-14 age group.

The report said interventions by the project implementing agencies were deficient to a large extent leading to substantial gaps between planned and actual achievements in key areas such as classrooms, text books distribution, provision of teachers, their training and other infrastructure, affecting the quality of education and coverage.

It found irregular diversion of funds to activities/schemes, which were beyond the scope of SSA. In the districts test-checked by audit, in as many as 11 States (Assam, Bihar, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharastrha, Meghalaya, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal), Rs 99.68 crore was spent on items not permitted under SSA. Besides, in 14 States/ Union Territories, financial irregularities of Rs 472.51 crore were also noticed, the CAG said.

Teacher-student ratio

According to the report, five States/UTs failed to maintain the SSA norm of 1:40 for teacher-student ratio. The ratio in primary schools and upper primary schools ranged between 1:60 and 1:130 in test-checked districts of Bihar. Cases of uneven distribution of teachers among schools were also detected.

Stating rural schools were suffering for want of teachers, it said 75,884 primary schools in 15 States/UTs were operating with one teacher only. About 6,647 schools in seven States were without any teacher. It said the position was alarming in Chhattisgarh, Himachal Pradesh, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal. Though SSA envisaged at least one primary school/education guarantee scheme/alternative innovative education centre within one kilometre of each habitation throughout the country, the facility was not available in 31,648 habitations.

It said that in two districts of Jharkhand, school grant of Rs 47.88 lakh was released to 2,369 schools, which were non-existent. It said supervision and monitoring of the scheme was "ineffective" both at the national and State levels. The first meeting of the Governing Council under the Chairmanship of the Prime Minister was held in February 2005 and that of the Executive Committee under the HRD Minister in March 2005, even as the scheme was launched in 2001-02.

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