Sarva Shiksha Abhiyaan (SSA)

  1. Background
  2. Aims
  3. Objectives
  4. Framework
  5. Strategies
  6. Alliances
  7. Norms for Interventions
  8. Frequently Asked Questions?
  1. Background

    2. In accordance with the Constitutional commitment to ensure free and compulsory education for all children up to the age of 14 years, provision of universal elementary education has been a salient feature of National Policies since independence. This resolve has been spelt out emphatically in the National Policy of Education (NPE) 1986 and the Programme of Action (POA)-1992. A number of schemes and programmes were launched in pursuance of the emphasis embodied in the NPE and the POA in our State Bihar. These included the scheme of Operation Blackboard (OBB); Non Formal Education (NFE); Teacher Education (TE); Mahila Samakhya (MS); National Programme of Nutritional Support to Primary Education (MDM); District Primary Education Programme (DPEP) and the UNICEF supported programmes run by SPEED.

    The Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan is an effort to universalize elementary education by community-ownership of the school system. It is a response to the demand for quality basic education all over the country. The SSA programme is also an attempt to provide an opportunity for improving human capabilities to all children, through provision of community-owned quality education in a mission mode.

    The Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, an educational intervention that is being implemented to provide quality of elementary education and achieve multiple objectives of UEE. There has been a positive paradigm shift from the method-mix target based activity to client centered, demand driven quality of elementary education. Attempt is being made not only to re-orient the programme (SSA) and change the attitude of the people at the grassroots level, but also to strengthen the elementary education at outreach level.

    • A programme with a clear time frame for universal elementary education.
    • A response to the demand for quality basic education all over the country.
    • An opportunity for promoting social justice through basic education.
    • An effort at effectively involving the Panchayati Raj Institutions, School Management Committees, Village and Urban Slum level Education Committees, Parents' Teachers' Associations, Mother Teacher Associations, Tribal Autonomous Councils and other grass root level structures in the management of elementary schools.
    • An expression of political will for universal elementary education across the country.  
    • A partnership between the Central, State and the local government.
    • An opportunity for States to develop their own vision of elementary education
  2. Aims

    3. The Sarva Shiksha Abhiyaan is to provide useful and relevant elementary education for all children in the 6 to 14 age group by 2010. There is also another goal to bridge social, regional and gender gaps, with the active participation of the community in the management of schools.

    Useful and relevant education signifies a quest for an education system that is not alienating and that draws on community solidarity. Its aim is to allow children to learn about and master their natural environment in a manner that allows the fullest harnessing of their human potential both spiritually and materially. This quest must also be a process of value based learning that allows children an opportunity to work for each other's well being rather than to permit mere selfish pursuits.

    Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan realizes the importance of Early Childhood Care and Education and looks at the 0-14 age as a continuum. All efforts to support pre-school learning in ICDS centres or special pre-school centres in non ICDS areas will be made to supplement the efforts being made by the Department of Women and Child Development.

  3. Objectives
    • All children in school, Education Guarantee Centre, Alternate School, ' Back-to-School' camp by 2005;
    • All children complete five years of primary schooling by 2007
    • All children complete eight years of elementary schooling by 2010
    • Focus on elementary education of satisfactory quality with emphasis on education for life
    • Bridge all gender and social category gaps at primary stage by 2007 and at elementary education level by 2010
    • Universal retention by 2010
  4. Framework
    • To allow states to formulate context specific guidelines within the overall framework
    • To encourage districts in States and UTs to reflect local specificity
    • To promote local need based planning based on broad National Policy norms
    • To make planning a realistic exercise by adopting broad national norms.

    The objectives are expressed nationally though it is expected that various districts and States are likely to achieve universalisation in their own respective contexts and in their own time frame. 2010 is the outer limit for such achievements. The emphasis is on mainstreaming out-of-school children through diverse strategies, as far as possible, and on providing eight years of schooling for all children in 6-14 age group. The thrust is on bridging of gender and social gaps and a total retention of all children in schools.  Within this framework it is expected that the education system will be made relevant so that children and parents find the schooling system useful and absorbing, according to their natural and social environment.

  5. Strategies
    • Institutional Reforms - As part of the SSA, the central and the State governments will undertake reforms in order to improve efficiency of the delivery system. The State will have to make an objective assessment of their prevalent education system including educational administration, achievement levels in schools, financial issues, decentralisation and community ownership, review of State Education Act, rationalization of teacher deployment and recruitment of teachers, monitoring and evaluation, status of education of girls, SC/ST and disadvantaged groups, policy regarding private schools and ECCE. The  State has already carried out several changes to improve the delivery system for elementary education.
    • Sustainable Financing - The Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan is based on the premise that financing of elementary education interventions has to be sustainable.  This calls for a long -term perspective on financial partnership between the Central and the State governments.
    • Community Ownership - The programme calls for community ownership of school-based interventions through effective decentralisation. This will be augmented by involvement of women's groups, VSS members and members of Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs).
    •  Institutional Capacity Building -The SSA conceives a major capacity building role for national, state and district level institutions like NIEPA / NCERT / NCTE / SCERT / SIEMAT / DIET.
    • Improvement in quality requires a sustainable support system of resource persons and institutions.
    • Improving Mainstream Educational Administration - It calls for improvement of mainstream educational administration by institutional development, infusion of new approaches and by adoption of cost effective and efficient methods.
    • Community Based Monitoring with Full Transparency - The Programme will have a community based monitoring system. The Educational Management Information System (EMIS) will correlate school level data with community-based information from micro planning and surveys. Besides this, every school will be encouraged to share all information with the community, including grants received. A notice board would be put up in every school for this purpose.
    • Habitation as a Unit of Planning - The SSA works on a community based approach to planning with habitation as a unit of planning. Habitation plans will be the basis for formulating district plans.
    • Accountability to Community - SSA envisages cooperation between teachers, parents and PRIs, as well as accountability and transparency to the community.
    • Priority to Education of Girls - Education of girls, especially those belonging to the scheduled castes and scheduled tribes and minorities, will be one of the principal concerns in Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan.
    • Focus on Special Groups - There will be a focus on the inclusion and participation of children from SC/ST, minority groups, urban deprived children disadvantaged groups and the children with special needs, in the educational process.
    • Pre-Project Phase - SSA commenced throughout the country with a well-planned pre-project phase that provides for a large number of interventions for capacity development to improve the delivery and monitoring system. These include provision for household surveys, community-based micro planning and school mapping, training of community leaders, school level activities, support for setting up information system, office equipment, diagnostic studies, etc.
    • Thrust on Quality - SSA lays a special thrust on making education at the elementary level useful and relevant for children by improving the curriculum, child-centered activities and effective teaching learning strategies.
    • Role of teachers - SSA recognizes the critical and central role of teachers and advocates a focus on their development needs. Setting up of Block Resource Centres/Cluster Resource Centres, recruitment of qualified teachers, opportunities for teacher development through participation in curriculum-related material development, focus on classroom process and exposure visits for teachers are all designed to develop the human resource among teachers.
    • District Elementary Education Plans - As per the SSA framework, each district will prepare a District Elementary Education Plan reflecting all the investments being made and required in the elementary education sector, with a holistic and convergent approach. There will be a Perspective Plan that will give a framework of activities over a longer time frame to achieve UEE. There will also be an Annual Work Plan and Budget that will list the prioritized activities to be carried out in that year. The Perspective Plan will also be a dynamic document subject to constant improvement in the course of Programme Implementation.
  6. Alliances

    Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan takes note of the fact that provision of elementary education is largely made by the government and government aided schools. There are also private unaided schools in many parts of the country that provide elementary education. Poorer households are not able to afford the fees charged in private schools in many parts of the country. There are also private schools that charge relatively modest fees and where poorer children are also attending. Some of these schools are marked by poor infrastructure and low paid teachers.

    While encouraging all efforts at equity and 'access to all' in well-endowed private unaided schools, efforts to explore areas of public-private partnership will also be made. Government, Local Body, and government aided schools would be covered under the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, as is the practice under the Mid Day Meal scheme and DPEP. In case private sector wishes to improve the functioning of a government, local body or a private aided school, efforts to develop a partnership would be made within the broad parameters of State policy in this regard. Depending on the State policies, DIETs and other Government teacher-training institutes could be used to provide resource support to private unaided institutions, if the additional costs are to be met by these private bodies.

  7. Norms for Interventions
      Intervention Norms
    1. Teacher
    1. One teacher for every 40 children in primary and upper primary
    2. At least two teachers in a primary school
    3. One teacher for every class in the upper primary
    4. Of the three teachers sanctioned under SSA for every new upper primary school, one each will need to be a teacher with mathematics and science specific educational background. The teacher recruitment will be as per State Governments’ norms.
    5. Wherever there is a need for additional teachers at upper primary level, to maintain the pupil teacher ratio of 40:1, the additional teachers sanctioned under SSA will need to be provided / recruited from Science/Mathematics educational background.
    6. States will have to commit that they will redeploy existing Science/Mathematics qualified teachers to cover as many upper primary schools as possible.
      (Ref: F.2-3/2005 – EE.3 dated –22nd February, 2008 for items (d) to (f).
      This amendment takes effect from 1-4-2008)
    2. School / Alternative schooling facility

    1. Within one Kilometer of every habitation

    2. Provision for opening of new schools as per State norms or for setting up EGS like schools in unserved habitations.
    3. Upper Primary schools/ Sector As per requirement based on the number of children completing primary education, up to a ceiling of one upper primary school/section for every two primary schools
    4. Classrooms A room for every teacher in Primary & upper Primary, with the provision that there would be two class rooms with verandah to every Primary school with at least two teachers.

    A room for Head-Master in upper Primary school/section
    5. Free textbooks
    1. To all children within an upper ceiling of Rs.150 per child at primary level and Rs.250 per child at upper primary level.
    2. Primers / textbooks developed for tribal languages with bridging materials to facilitate a transition strategy to the State language of instruction and English, would be eligible for class I–II within the ceiling of Rs.150 per child.
    3. Within the ceiling of Rs.150 per child per year at primary level, States can support workbooks, worksheets and other essential teaching learning materials which together constitute textual materials for the subject, class or grade.
    4. States to continue to fund free textbooks being currently provided from the State Plans.
    5. States to continue to fund free textbooks being currently provided (2007-08) from the State Plans to non-SC/ST boys studying in Government and Government-aided primary and upper primary schools. The financial implication of this charge will be restricted to cost of free textbooks to non SC/ST boys only to those States where these are not being provided under any existing State schemes.
    6. In case any State is partially subsidizing the cost of textbooks being supplied to children in Elementary classes, then the assistance under SSA would be restricted to that portion of the cost of the books
      which is being borne by the children.
      (Ref: F.2-3/2005 – EE.3 dated –22nd February, 2008. This amendment takes effect from 1-4-2008)
    6. Civil works Ceiling of 33% of SSA programme funds.

    For improvement of school facilities, BRC/CRC construction.

    CRCs could also be used as an additional room.

    No expenditure to be incurred on construction of office buildings

    Districts to prepare infrastructure Plans.
    7. Maintenance and repair  of school buildings Schools up to three classrooms will be eligible for maintenance grant up to a maximum of Rs.5000 per school per year while schools having more than three classrooms would get a maintenance grant up to a maximum of Rs.10000 per school per year, subject to the condition that the overall eligibility for the district would be Rs.7500 per school (Note: Headmaster room and Office room would not count as a classroom for this purpose).
    8.  Upgradation of EGS to regular school or setting up of a new Primary school as per State norm Provision for TLE @ Rs 10,000/- per school TLE as per local context and need

    Involvement of teachers and parents necessary in TLE selection and procurement

    VEC/ school-village level appropriate body to decide on best mode of procurement

    Requirement of successful running of EGS centre for two years before it is considered for upgradation.

    Provision for teacher & classrooms.
    9. TLE for upper-primary @ Rs 50,000 per school for uncovered schools.

    As per local specific requirement to be determined by the teachers/ school committee

    School committee to decide on best mode of procurement, in consultation with teachers

    School Committee may recommend district level procurement if there are advantages of scale.
    10. Schools grant Rs.5000/- per year per primary school and Rs.7000/- per year per upper primary schools for replacement of non-functional school equipment and for other recurring costs such as consumables etc. The amount for Upper Primary School will include items for science laboratories and computer education requirements.

    Transparency in utilisation

    To be spent only by VEC/SMC
    11. Teacher grant Rs 500 per teacher per year in primary and upper primary

    Transparency in utilisation
    12. Teacher training Provision of 20 days In-service course for all teachers each year, 60 days refresher course for untrained teachers already employed as teachers, and 30 days orientation for freshly trained recruits @ Rs. 100/- per day

    Unit cost is indicative; would be lower in non residential training programmes

    Includes all training cost

    Assessment of capacities for effective training during appraisal will determine extent of coverage.

    Support for SCERT/DIET under existing Teacher Education Scheme
    13. State Institute of Educational Management and Training (SIEMAT) One time assistance up to Rs. 3 crore

    States have to agree to sustain

    Selection criteria for faculty to be rigorous
    14. Training of community leaders For a maximum of 8 persons in a village for 2 days in a year - preferably women

    @ Rs. 30/- per day
    15. Provision for disabled children Upto Rs. 1200/- per child for integration of disabled children, as per specific proposal, per year

    District Plan for children with special needs will be formulated within the Rs. 1200 per child norm

    Involvement of resource institutions to be encouraged
    16. Research, Evaluation, supervision and monitoring
    1. Upto Rs.1500 per school per year
    2. Primary schools and upper primary schools would be treated as separate school, even if they are functioning from the same premises
    3. Norms for State/district/BRC/CRC/ School level expenditures for research, evaluation, supervision and monitoring will be decided by the State SSA’s Executive Committee.
    4. States would need to give priority to developing and regularly implementing, monitoring systems to measure quality related outcomes, inter alia, for students learning outcomes, teacher performance, student and teacher attendance rates by gender and social categories, as also parameters for measuring changes in classroom practices, impact of teacher training, efficacy of textbooks and textual materials, quality of academic supervision provided by BRCs/CRCs/DIETs etc.
    5. State and district provisioning will include inter alia for EMIS, allocations for regular school mapping/micro planning for location of schools, other school infrastructure and updating of household data on 6-14 year old children’s educational status.
    6. Involvement of SCERTs, DIETs and SIEMATs (where SIEMATs are functional), will be mandatory in the execution of this component.
    7. Funds to be spent at National, State, District, Sub-district, School level out of the overall per school allocation.
    8. Rs.200 per school per year to be spent at national level.
    9. Each State/UT SSA programme will set up a Research Approval Committee for processing and approving all research and evaluation project/studies to be undertaken at the State level. Appropriate mechanisms should also be set up for district level by the State SSA programme.
    10. Involvement of other independent national and State level resource institutions in conducting REMS activities should be encouraged through appropriate MOUs/contracts (Ref: F.2-3/2005 – EE.3 dated –22nd February, 2008. This amendment takes effect from 1-4-2008)
    17. Management Cost Not to exceed 6% of the budget of a district plan

    To include expenditure on office expenses, hiring of experts at various levels after assessment of existing manpower, POL, etc.;

    Priority to experts in MIS, community planning processes, civil works, gender, etc. depending on capacity available in a particular district

    Management costs should be used to develop effective teams at State/ District/Block/Cluster levels

    Identification of personnel for BRC/CRC should be a priority in the pre-project phase itself so that a team is available for the intensive process based planning.
    18. Innovative activity for girls' education, early childhood care & education, interventions for children belonging to SC/ST community, computer education specially for upper primary level
    1. An Innovation Head upto Rs.1 crore per district per year will apply for SSA.
    2. Upto half of the funds under the Innovation Head can be targeted to Computer Aided Education facilities per district per year. The focus of Computer Aided Learning (CAL) will be to maximize coverage in Upper
      Primary Schools with special emphasis on Science and Mathematics. Hardware, software, training, maintenance and resource support if required, could inter alia be included in this component.
    3. Upto four innovative projects each within the ceiling of Rs.15 lakh per district will be permissible on need basis, for the balance funds.
    4. ECCE and girls education interventions will target interventions for supporting girls education which are not covered under other components of SSA e.g., NPEGEL and KGBV programmes.
    5. Interventions for Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribe communities will be targeted to enhanced retention and learning levels of children
    6. Interventions for educationally disadvantaged minorities chiefly muslim children, to target their enhanced enrolment, retention and completion of elementary education.
    7. Interventions for urban deprived children with focus mainly on creating facilities for street children, migrant children, rag pickers to enable them to join elementary education.
    8. No duplication with any other SSA component will be permissible. The innovation should not duplicate strategies allowed under other components of SSA or to other interventions of other schemes.
    9. All components under the Innovation Head will need to be designed and executed in a clearly defined deliverable outcomes to be articulated in the Annual work Plan of district. The innovation should be area specific and focused on clearly defined target groups. It can be in the form of a package including general SSA interventions supplemented by interventions under Innovative Heads. Steps for its monitoring and
      evaluation should also be clearly brought out. The interventions will be in project mode having no civil work components with clearly defined areas, target group, outcomes and monitoring and evaluation. The
      intervention will be broken in micro activities with indicative financial requirements.
    19. Block Resource Centres/ Cluster Resource Centres BRC/CRC to be located in school campus as far as possible.

    Rs. 6 lakh ceiling for BRC building construction wherever required

    Rs. 2 lakh for CRC construction wherever required - should be used as an additional classroom in schools.

    Total cost of non-school (BRC and CRC) construction in any district should not exceed 5% of the overall projected expenditure under the programme in any year.

    Deployment of up to 20 teacher in a block with more than 100 schools; 10 teachers in smaller Blocks in BRCs/CRCs.

    Provision of furniture, etc. @ Rs. 1 lakh for a BRC and Rs. 10,000 for a CRC

    Contingency grant of Rs. 12,500 for a BRC and Rs. 2500 for a  CRC, per year

    Identification of BRC/CRC personnel after intensive selection process in the preparatory phase itself.
    20. Interventions for out of school children
    1. As per revised norms approved for Education Guarantee Scheme & Alternative and Innovative Education, the following kinds of interventions are provided:
      1. Setting up Education Guarantee Centres in unserved habitations.
        1. The cost of individual centre would depend on the number of learners enrolled. However, over all cost for district as a whole would have to be maintained within the revised cost of Rs.1535/- per child per annum for primary level centres and Rs.2960/- per child for upper primary level centres.
        2. The honorarium for the Education volunteer (EV) would be restricted to Rs.2500/- per month.
      2. Setting up other alternative schooling models:
        1. For AIE Centres / interventions, the per learner ceiling would be Rs.3000/- per annum for interventions of non-residential
          nature including Bridge Courses, remedial courses, Back-to-School Camps with a focus on mainstreaming out of school children into regular schools
        2. The item-wise costs would be worked out for each kind of AIE strategy to provide adequate flexibility for the needs of different kinds of children. While the ceiling of cost per learner is Rs.3000/- per annum, the item-wise cost for individual strategies should be approved by the State Implementation Society of SSA within the overall ceiling. (Ref No.2-3/2005-EE-3 dated 4th January,2007)
           
      3. For residential AIE interventions, such as Bridge Courses, remedial courses, Back-to-School Camps with a focus on mainstreaming out of school children into regular schools, the cost ceiling would be Rs.10000 per child per annum.
        (Ref: F.2-3/2005 – EE.3 dated –22nd February, 2008. These amendments take effect from 1-4-2008)
    2. Remedial Teaching
      The scheme would allow for the following two kinds of
      interventions:
      1. For children mainstreamed into formal schools from bridge courses/campus/back to school strategies.
      2. Remedial teaching for children in formal schools.

         

    Under the strategy (b(ii)):-

    1. Only proposals from districts with female literacy rates
      below the national average as per the 2001 census would be eligible.
    2. Preference should be given to schools in tribal areas, in
      areas with high concentration of SC and ST population and minority communities.
    3. A district may prepare the plan to cover not more than 5% of the total number of schools in that district (excluding schools located in urban slums). In addition, 10% of the schools located in urban slums could also be covered.

    It should be ensured that all schools included under this strategy should have adequate number of teachers as per norms and be fully functional in all respects. A certificate to this effort should accompany the proposals.
    21. Preparatory activities for micro-planning, household surveys, studies, community mobilization, school-based activities, office equipment, training and orientation at all levels, etc. As per specific proposal of a district, duly recommended by the State. Urban areas, within a district or metropolitan cities may be treated as a separate unit for planning as required.

  8. Frequently Asked Questions?

1. What should be the district for the purpose of preparation of DEEP? That is whether the revenue district or the educational district should be taken as the unit for planning at the district level?

Revenue district should be taken as the unit of planning at the district level. The number of revenue districts is frozen as on 31/3/2002, and no further bifurcation would be taken into account for planning. Plans of districts bifurcated subsequently would be included in the original unbifurcated district.

2. What norms should be followed in creation of posts, other than that of teachers?

While sanctioning new non-teacher posts following points may be kept in consideration:
No new permanent posts should be created.
While examining the need of new posts, the feasibility of using the human resources available in the present administrative structure - both the mainline education department and DPEP - should be explored first. If any of the activities cannot be done with the present set up, only then recourse should be made to new posts.
The posts being created should be filled only through contract or through deputation. No permanent liability should accrue on the society due to filling up of these posts.
No deputation allowance will be allowed for posts filled through deputation.
The total management cost should be less than 6% of the total cost, separately for each district and also in total for the entire State.

3. Whether personnel can be posted for supervision of civil works?

Personnel can be posted at various levels for civil works supervision, subject to the guidelines mentioned in FAQ No. 2.

4. Whether repairs can be done for classrooms beyond Rs 5000/- per school?

SSA would fund only upto Rs 5000/- per school per annum for maintenance and repair. However, repairs beyond Rs 5000/- can always be taken up by sourcing other funds such as community contribution, Panchayat Funds, State Government funds, Centrally sponsored schemes, etc.

5. What should be the unit cost of civil works in cases where SSA norms are silent?

The unit cost, where not specifically mentioned in the SSA norms, would depend on the PWD norms of the State. However, in cases where the unit costs are abnormally high, the estimates would be looked into by the Technical Support Group of SSA at the National Level for its recommendations. In case of drinking water facilities and toilets, the PAB has fixed an upper limit of Rs 15000/- and Rs 20000/- respectively. Any additional expenditure for these two items would have to be met by the State through other sources.

6. Whether child friendly elements are permitted in schools under SSA?

Permanent civil works based child-friendly elements can be provided in the new school buildings sanctioned under SSA, provided they are built in to the unit cost of the school building.

7. Whether boundary walls are permitted under SSA?

Boundary Walls would be permitted only in extreme cases like hilly terrain, forest areas or urban areas. In other cases boundary walls from SSA funds would not be encouraged.

8. Whether ECCE facilities or EGS centres can be constructed under SSA?

ECCE facilities or EGS centres cannot be constructed under SSA.

9. Whether the 5% limit on cost of construction of BRCs/CRCs is within the 33% civil works limit or over and above the civil works limit?

The 33% limit on civil works includes expenditure on construction of BRCs and CRCs. Within this overall limit there is a sub-limit of 5% of total annual projected expenditure on construction of BRCs and CRCs.

10. Whether ceiling of Rs 6 lakhs for BRC construction and Rs 2 lakhs for CRC construction continue till 2010?

Yes, as per current approvals. However, it is also expected that BRCs and CRCs would be constructed in the initial years of the programme.

11. Whether civil works plan should have details of funds accessed from other sources?

The Plans should make a realistic analysis of funds available for school infrastructure improvement. While exact amount available under schemes, other than SSA, may not be known, an assessment should be made of items of work which could be taken up under other schemes and only the balance should be proposed for funding under SSA. It may be possible for the District to come to a conclusion that only limited funding or no funding is available from other schemes but this should be clearly brought out in the plans or in subsequent documentation.

12. Whether residential schools can be constructed under civil works?

Hostels cannot be taken up under civil works as part of school facility. However, residential schools as a complete package can be taken up under the innovative scheme.

13. Whether equipment for monitoring quality of construction can be purchased and training of supervisory teams for civil works monitoring can be taken up?

The unit cost for each construction should have a supervision component. If any equipment is to be bought, it should be bought from this provision. The supervision cost built into the unit cost can be retained at the District/State level for expenditure on supervision. Training of supervisory staff can be budgeted under the management cost.

14. While expenditure on civil works is limited to 33% of the perspective plan outlay, districts have been permitted to go up to 40% of annual outlay each year provided the total expenditure does not exceed 33% of the approved perspective outlay. Whether this perspective outlay should be the outlay till 2010 or till 2007.

Since the districts have been asked to prepare the financial component of the perspective plan only till 2007 (even though the physical component would be till 2010), the 33% limit would be taken as that of the approved financial outlay till 2007. Thus, the annual plans can go upto 40% of the annual outlay, provided the perspective plan has been approved and the total expenditure does not exceed 33% of the approved outlay till 2007.

15. Whether SIEMAT or BRC construction needs to be done by the community?

Since SIEMAT is a State level construction, it need not be done by the community. The State may follow the PWD regulations or other regulations applicable to the Education Department of the State for construction of office buildings. Regarding BRCs, which are block-level structures, the concerned State Government may decide between community construction or construction through a State agency such as PWD.

16. Whether salary of the teachers recruited under SSA is only for a ten-year period?

As per the SSA norms, the sharing pattern under SSA between the Centre and the States is 85:15 in the 9th Plan, 75:25 in the 10th Plan and 50:50 thereafter.

17. Would the expenditure on BRC and CRC resource person be a part of the management cost?

Expenditure on the resource persons in BRC/CRC (20 or 10 per block as the case may be) is not part of the management cost. Other costs on BRC/CRC, provided in the SSA norms such as TLM, Furniture, contingency, TA, Meeting, etc, are also not part of the management cost.

18. What is the provision under SSA for training of BRC/CRC personnel?

Since BRC/CRC personnel are teachers, training to them can be provided under the head for teachers' training for in-service teachers (20 days).

19. How should be the BRC/CRC personnel be recruited?

BRC/CRC personnel should be recruited from the existing senior and experienced teachers who have shown the temperament for this kind of job. The resultant vacancies would be filled up with fresh teachers, and so the budgeting would be done based on the salary of these fresh teachers.

20. Whether BRC/CRC can be opened in urban areas?

If the district in which the urban area lies has no CD Blocks, then BRCs cannot be opened in that urban area. However, if the district has some CD Blocks within its jurisdiction, then scaled down BRCs can be opened in the urban areas within the district, with the proviso that the total expenditure on BRCs/CRCs in the district should not exceed the expenditure which would have been incurred if BRCs were opened at the rate of 1 BRC per CD Block. There is no restriction on opening of CRCs in urban areas.

21. Whether libraries can be set up at BRCs /CRCs?

Libraries can be set up under the annual TLM grant provided for BRCs and CRCs.

22. Whether Rs 1200/- per child for IED assistance is only for enrolled children?

This amount is for all children identified during survey, with the objective that these interventions would bring all such children into the school system.

23. What funds are available for Government aided schools?

Government aided schools should satisfy the following conditions to be eligible for getting some of the grants under SSA:

The admission policy in the aided schools should be similar to that of Government schools in the State.
The aided schools should not be collecting any fee from the students.

Government sanction should be obtained for appointment of teacher

Salary of teachers and their service conditions should be similar to that of Government school teachers.

Syllabus followed should be same as that of Government schools

If the above conditions are satisfied, following may be extended to the district for Government aided schools:

Teachers' grant @ Rs 500/- p.m.
School Grant @ Rs 2000/- p.m.
Teacher Training for Govt Aided School teachers
Free text books to children
Further, in such cases, aided schools may also be taken into account for calculating Research grant.

24. Whether TLE grant @ Rs 10000/- per school can be given to the existing primary schools not covered under Operation Black Board?

No. Only in case of Upper Primary schools, the uncovered schools are eligible for the TLE grant of Rs 50000/-.

25. Whether Research Grant is available for EGS centres/bridge courses/alternate schools?

No.
 
26. Whether Cantonment Schools are eligible for SSA assistance?

As far as these schools are fully run by the Cantonment Boards and do not charge any fee, these are eligible for assistance under SSA.

27. Whether Madarsas are eligible for assistance?

Madarsas affiliated to the State Madarsa Boards and satisfying the conditions given in reply to FAQ 23, are eligible for the assistance mentioned in FAQ 23. However, such Madarsas would be expected to follow the curriculum prescribed by the State Madarsa Board.

28. How many teachers can be provided for new upper primary schools being opened?

A minimum number of three teachers can be recommended, provided such teachers are not available through redeployment, at the rate of one teacher per class. The maximum number would depend on the strength of upper primary sections and would be guided by the provision of one teacher for 40 children.

29. From which funds curriculum renewal/ text book development & printing could be taken up?

Curriculum renewal could be taken up from the Research Grant. Text Book development and printing could be amortized in the cost of books and the books priced accordingly. So separate funds may not be necessary to be provided for text book development and printing.

30. Whether workbooks can be distributed within the funds available for free distribution of textbooks?

As far as the workbooks are integral part of curriculum delivery and are regarded as part and parcel of textbooks, they can be funded for free distribution along with textbooks within the overall ceiling of Rs 150/- per child.

31. Whether transport cost for distribution of books can be provided from SSA funds?

No separate funds need to be provided for this under SSA. The States may include the distribution cost in the cost of the book and price them accordingly.

32. Under which head costs related to MIS development be provided?

This may be provided under the Research Head.

33. Whether newsletter can be brought out by States/ Districts?

Newsletters can be brought out by States/ Districts and can be budgeted under the management head?

34. Whether funds can be provided for media activity?

Funds can be provided for media activity under the management head.