National Education Mission

The National Education Mission (Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan) is an overarching programme for the school education sector extending from pre-school to class 12, launched in 2018. It was allocated a budget of ₹385.72 billion (US$4.8 billion) in the 2019 Interim Union Budget of India. The stated mission comprises four schemes, namely Saakshar Bharat, Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan and the Centrally Sponsored Scheme on Teacher Education (CSSTE).^[1] In 2021, the NIPUN Bharat Mission was launched as part of Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan, teaching literacy and numeracy skills in universities by Grade 3.^[2]

PM Modi delivering the inaugural address at an NEP 2020 related event in August 2020.

In the 2023–24 Union Budget presented on February 1, 2023, the Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan allocated an amount of ₹37,453.47.^[3]

The DIKSHA Portal, launched in 2017

Saakshar Bharat

Saakshar Bharat is a government of India initiative launched by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to conduct teaching-learning programmes for the non-literate aged 15 and above. It was launched on 8 September 2009, as a centrally sponsored scheme.^[4] It aims to recast India's National Literacy Mission to focus on the literacy of women.^[5] It is a scheme from the Department of School Education, Ministry of Education, Government of India. The National Literacy Mission covered 597 districts under the Total Literacy Campaign, 485 districts under the Post Literacy Programme and 328 districts under the Continuing Education Programme. The Saakshar Bharat Mission has chosen six villages for 'Model Adult Education Centres' under Lok Shiksha Samiti in the Karimnagar district, in Telangana state.^[6]

The National Literacy Mission (NLM) is a nationwide program started by the Government of India in 1988 with the approval of the Cabinet as an independent and autonomous wing of the Ministry of HRD (the then Department of Education). Its stated aim is to educate 80 million adults in the age group of 15–35 over an eighty-year period.

National Initiative for Proficiency in Reading with Understanding and Numeracy Bharat

 

The prime minister addressing the 'Conclave on School Education in the 21st Century'

The Ministry of Education has launched a National Initiative for Proficiency in Reading with Understanding and Numeracy (NIPUN Bharat), with the stated goals that all Indians attain foundational literacy and numeracy (FLN) by the end of Grade 3 by 2026–27.^[7] These are called ‘Lakshyas’ and they are defined for each level from the Balvatika to Grade 3. The children who are in Classes 4 and 5 were provided individual teacher guidance.^[8] The estimated budget for the NIPUN Bharat Mission is ₹2,688 for fiscal year 2021–22.^[9]

States such as Uttar Pradesh,^[10] Madhya Pradesh,^[11] West Bengal,^[12] Bihar,^[13] Tamil Nadu,^[14] Assam,^[15] and Haryana^[16] have also launched their respective State Foundational Literacy and Numeracy Missions based on the framework of NIPUN Bharat.

Framework

The NIPUN Bharat Mission categorizes the expected learning outcomes into three primary developmental goals, namely (i) Children to maintain good health and well-being, (ii) Children to become effective communicators, and (iii) Children to become evolved learners and connect with their environment.^[17]

Foundational Learning Study 2022

The Foundational Learning Study 2022 (FLS 2022) is a study serving as the baseline for the implementation of the NIPUN Bharat Mission by the Ministry of Education in March 2022. The FLS 2022 is one of the largest ever studies to assess the foundational level of schoolchildren in India, with a sample size of 86,000 students across grades III, V, VIII and X across 10,000 schools.^[18] It is also the first-ever study to benchmark Oral Reading Fluency (ORF) and numeracy on the basis of the UN Global Proficiency Framework.^{[citation needed]}

Foundational Learning in India's G20 Presidency

'Foundational Literacy and Numeracy, especially in the context of blended learning'^[19] has been recognized by the Ministry of Education as one of the four 'pillars' of the Education Working Group for India's G20 Presidency in 2023.

References

1. "Education Budget 2019 Highlights: How the education sector and job market will be affected", India Today, 1 February 2019
2. "Education Ministry launches NIPUN Bharat Mission". @businessline. Retrieved 8 August 2021.
3. https://www.careers360.com. "Union Budget 2023: School education outlay rises by Rs 5,355 cr". news.careers360.com. Retrieved 2 February 2023. {{cite web}}: External link in |last= (help)CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
4. . The Hindu. Chennai, India. 9 September 2009. Archived from the original on 12 September 2009. Retrieved 9 September 2009.
5. "New Kerala". Retrieved 9 September 2009.
6. "Saakshar Bharat Mission selected 6 villages in Telangana". Retrieved 7 February 2015.
7. "Nipun Bharat Scheme". pib.gov.in. Retrieved 17 January 2023.
8. "Vikaspedia Domains".
9. "Does the Union Budget 2022-23 Offer Inclusive Recovery for School Education?". CBGA India. 8 February 2022. Retrieved 21 December 2022.
10. "IIM-Lucknow to aid UP script new chapter in education goals under Bharat Mission | Lucknow News - Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 17 January 2023.
11. "मिशन अंकुर का लक्ष्य वर्ष 2026 तक मध्य प्रदेश में कक्षा पहली से तीसरी तक हर छात्र पढऩा-लिखना और गणित में हो जाए दक्ष | Mission Ankur In MP Schools NIPUN Bhart". Patrika News (in Hindi). 27 April 2022. Retrieved 17 January 2023.
12. "Foundational Literacy and Numeracy in West Bengal". 56 (16). 17 April 2021. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
13. B. K. Mishra (6 September 2022). "Nipun Bihar Mission Launched, to Skill Pupils Of Up To Class Iii | Patna News - Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 17 January 2023.
14. "Our Projects". Madhi Foundation. Retrieved 17 January 2023.
15. Kangkan Kalita (31 December 2022). "Assam set to take big strides in education | Guwahati News - Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 17 January 2023.
16. "Towards Nipun Haryana and Nipun Bharat". digitalLEARNING Magazine. 2 June 2022. Retrieved 17 January 2023.
17. Shukla, Anubhav (28 August 2022). "Nipun Bharat Mission : Objectives, Benefits and Features - Nipun Bharat Mission". Retrieved 30 January 2023.
18. "Press Information Bureau". pib.gov.in. Retrieved 17 January 2023.
19. "Shri Dharmendra Pradhan holds a high-level meeting on preparations for G20 Summit going to be held in India in 2023". pib.gov.in. Retrieved 19 January 2023.