NPEGEL :: SSA :: Andhra Pradesh
National Programme for Education of Girls at Elementary Level(NPEGEL)::SSA
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The Government has approved a new programme called ‘National Programme for
Education of Girls at Elementary Level (NPEGEL)’ as an amendment to the scheme of Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) for providing additional components for education of girls at elementary level. The NPEGEL will form part of SSA and will be implemented under the umbrella of SSAbut with a distinct identity.
Accordingly, NPEGEL has been formulated for education of under privileged /
disadvantaged girls from class I to VIII as a separate and distinct gender component plan of SSA. The gender component is necessary to achieve UEE for girls in educationally backward areas.
The scheme would be applicable in the following areas :
(a) Educationally Backward Blocks (EBBs) : EBB means a block where the level of
rural female literacy is less than the national average and the gender gap is above the
national average. Also all blocks in 13 districts of Jammu & Kashmir, which qualify
by this definition and were not covered by the 1991 census will be covered. A list of
States with such districts/blocks is at Appendix.I.
(b) Blocks of districts which have atleast 5% SC/ ST population and SC/ ST female
literacy rate below 10% shall also be taken up under this programme
(c) Selected urban slums
A. Mobilisation for girls education, including community, teachers, NGOs, etc. This is to be
process oriented programme, where community ownership and the basket of components must
evolve with local participation.
B. A basket of components has been provided for in the scheme, however, all blocks would not
take up all activities. The projects should be based on the conditions of that block and should
specifically target the following:
- Out of school girls
Drop outs girls
- Overage girls , who have not completed elementary education
- Working girls
- Girls from marginalised social groups.
- Girls with low attendance
- Girls with low levels of achievement
There exists a significant gender gap in enrolment at the elementary level, which is more acute for schedule caste and scheduled tribe girls, for whom the gender gap is almost 30% at the primary level and 26% at upper primary stage. The reduction of this gender gap has now plateaued and further reduction would require a concerted focus on the hard to reach groups.
Therefore, it is necessary to include certain interventions addressing the specific needs of girl
children. The objectives of NPEGEL are:
(a) to develop and promote facilities to provide access and to facilitate retention of girls and
to ensure greater participation of women and girls in the field of education
(b) to improve the quality of education through various interventions and to stress upon the
relevance and quality of girls’ education for their empowerment
The focus of NPEGEL will be as follows:
(a) To strengthen the capacity of National, State and district institutions and organisations
for planning, management and evaluation of girls’ education at the elementary level,
and create a dynamic management structure that will be able to respond to the
challenges of girls’ education;
(b) To develop innovative gender sensitisation / training programmes, with the assistance
of concerned organisations and women’ s groups, for teachers and administrators and
create an environment whereby all the sections of the education sector will become
alive and sensitive to the role of education in eliminating gender disparities;
(c) To initiate networking between different institutions for research, extension and
information dissemination to increase output of gender sensitive, quality teachinglearning
material especially in regional languages, and decentralised areaspecific
models of intervention;
(d) To gear the entire education system to play a positive interventionist role to enhance
selfesteem
and selfconfidence
of women and girls; build a positive image of women
by recognising their contribution to the society, polity and the economy.
(e) To break gender stereotypes, ensuring that the content and process of education is
sensitive to gender concerns.
(f) To provide coordinated
efforts, to ensure necessary support services to enhance girls’
participation and performance in elementary education.
(g) To build community support for girls’ education and provide a conducive environment
for girls’ e ducation in the school, community and home; and
(h) To ensure that girls get good quality education at the elementary level.
DISTRICT STRUCTURE :
1 Activities would include preparatory activities, including formation of core teams for
girls education, training of core teams, baseline assessments and block and village mapping,
and social assessments, village and block plans preparation and facilitation. Simultaneously,
advocacy and communication activities, including the formation/ mobilisation of MTAs,
PTAs and other core groups in the village would be included, in addition to implementation
of the block plans.
2 District Gender Unit, which is a branch of the State MS Society or the State SSA Society
(in States where MS is not there), will administer the NPEGEL at district level. A ‘District
Gender Coordinator’
shall be appointed for each district. The District Gender Unit will consist
of District Gender Coordinator,
Resource persons and supporting staff. This unit will coordinate
and supervise all aspect of the component at district level, and provide resource and
training support. It will also network with the local adminstration, other institutions and NGOs
in the district.
3 At the district level, there will be a ‘District Gender Coordination
Committee’ which
will ensure the implementation and monitoring of the gender component of SSA and which will
meet at least twice a year. The committee will have nominees of Mother Teacher Associations
(MTAs), Women Motivator Groups (WMGs), Mahila Samakhya Sanghas or Mahila Sanghas,
female member of SC/ST organisations, etc. in the districts. The State level head of the Gender
unit or his/her nominee will also be a member of this committee.
COMPONENTS : OF THE GIRL EDUCATION PROGRAMME :
Model Cluster school (MCS) :
A Model Cluster School for Girls’ , as a model girlchild friendly school at cluster level
will be opened in all selected districts/blocks where the scheme is operational. A cluster
will be for about 510 villages with each block having about 810 clusters. This girlchild
friendly infrastructure will be used by all the schools in that cluster, by rotation. It shall
have facilities in terms of teaching learning equipment, books, equipment, games, etc.
Clusters will be taken up in a phased manner, and those schools will be selected which have shown the best performance for enrolment of girls over the baseline, and which are accessible to around 10 villages / schools, whose girls can use this infrastructure and which has land for additional
civil works and play fields. While selecting the location of the model cluster schools,
the density of SC/ ST population would also be taken into consideration.
An existing school will be identified for opening of ‘Model Cluster School for Girls’
having the density of SC/ST/OBC/Minority girls. A ‘model cluster school for girls’
will have the provision of an additional classroom, supply of drinking water,
electrification, and toilet for which one time grant upto a maximum of Rs.2.00 lakhs
will be provided. To the extent of construction of such additional room/toilets, this
amount would be over and above the 33% limit for Civil Works under SSA. The
construction of additional classrooms, etc. will be carried out by the VEC/SMC of
the cluster headquarter. The type of design for the classroom will be approved by
the Executive Committee of the State SSA Society.
The separate subplan for ‘Girls Education Component’ will be prepared by the
district implementation unit of the NPEGEL. As in the case of DEEP, these plans shall be
scrutinized at the State level by the resource group, before being forwarded to the cell at the
National level, who shall appraise the plans, with the help of external agencies/ consultants
where necessary. A team constituted for the purpose will appraise the plans received.
Financial norms under the NPEGEL :
1.The assistance under this component will be as per the parameters of SSA i.e. 75 : 25
sharing arrangement during Xth Plan and 50 : 50 sharing thereafter between the Central
Government and State Governments. Commitments regarding sharing of costs would be taken
from State Governments in writing.
2 The provisions for NPEGEL will be in addition to the provisions already made under
SSA. The SSA society will ensure that there is no duplication of activities proposed under
the programme.
3 The Government of India would directly release funds to the SSA State Implementation
Society. The State Government will also release its share to the State Implementation Society.
Funds will be released thereafter to the Mahila Samakhya society wherever applicable. In States
where MS is not being implemented, the implementation of this scheme will be through a subunit
called ‘Gender Unit’ of SSA society and existing mechanism used for implementation of
SSA will be followed.
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