Indian Education Repository

The scheme document states the programme for action for Non-Formal Education (NFE) under the National Policy of Education (NPE) 1986 for habitations without schools, school dropouts, for working children and girls who cannot attend whole day schools. It lays down the salient features of NFEs, financial aspects, parameters for the revision in NFE, role of voluntary agencies and Panchyati Raj Institutions (PRIs) and the overall monitoring system. They also recommend a National Elementary Education Mission (NEEM) to be operationalised in the 9th year plan to monitor Elementary Education (EE) programmes. On the matter of central legislation, the Saikia committee claimed it was not necessary to have a legislation given that elementary education was the responsibility of the states. It also estimated the financial requirements on the basis of per pupil cost of Rs 948 and concluded that additional funds of the order of Rs 40000 crores would be required over five years. The report also recommends the provision of recurrent teacher training, quality textbooks and inclusion of Minimum Learning Levels (MLLs). Also, for the first time perhaps, the formal recognition of inclusion of private schools as being important in the provision of EE and that local bodies should provide space and opportunity to them. The report calls for setting up a regulatory system for private schools.