Education cess introduced to raise resources for SSA

Patna, Jun 4 (UNI) To improve the national literacy rate, the Centre has introduced an education cess at the rate of two per cent on major Central taxes.

Besides, the Centre would increase the allocation for education by 34 per cent over the previous year to raise resources for providing universal elementary education.

According to a press release, the Centre had enhanced the total educational allocation to Rs 32,352 crore for 2007-08.

A non-lapsable fund known as 'Prarambhik Shiksha Kosh' was also set up for collection of the education cess to finance elementary education, including Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) and the National Cooked Mid-Day Meal Programme.

The SSA aimed at bridging all gender-related and social gaps at primary level education by 2007 and elementary level education by 2010.

However, despite improving the enrollment ratio in schools to 96 per cent, the drop-out rate continued to be high.

To minimise the drop-out ratio and encourage students to continue their education beyond class VII, the government had introduced a national Means-cum-Merit scholarship scheme, under which one lakh students each would be given Rs 6,000 per year for continuing studies in classes IX-XII, the release added.

The government had also proposed to double the strength of the Kendriya Vidyalaya from the existing 919 schools over the 11th five-year plan period.

Likewise, the Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya system too would be expanded to more than the double of its existing 539 over the plan period, the release added.

The total strength of teachers in the training instutions had been increased by 178 per cent. During 2007-08, appointment of 2,00,000 more teachers and construction of 5,00,000 more classrooms were targetted.

Till November 2006, 1.81 lakh new schools had been opened, 7.38 lakh teachers had been appointed, 1.5 lakh school buildings and 5.8 lakh additional classrooms had been constructed, while free textbooks were distributed to over 5.78 crore children annually, the release added.

UNI