Altaf Bukhari reviews SSA progress report

Minister pitches for containing dropout rate; Stresses on meeting timeline for completion of works
JAMMU, MARCH 1: Minister for Education Syed Mohammad Altaf Bukhari today called for effective implementation of SSA interventions for bringing down school dropout rate and remedial education for in and out of school children.
The Minister was speaking at a meeting convened to review the progress achieved under various components of Sarva Shikhsha Abhiyan (SSA)- a scheme meant for universalization of primary education through continuous interventions and expansion of schools in uncovered areas. Today’s meeting followed extensive review of progress under RMSA held by the Minister yesterday.
Principal Secretary School Education, Shaleen Kabra, Project Director RMSA/ SSA Suagat Biswas, Director school Education, Jammu Babila Rakwal, senior functionaries of school education and RMSA Directorate were present at the meeting.
Expressing concern over the school dropout rate in the state, the Minister underlined the need for narrowing down the critical gaps at all levels in the implementation of the intervention components devised to address this problem.
The meeting was told that the scheme has special provisions for bringing back out of school children who have left education at various levels. The census done by the SSA directorate recently puts the number of out-of-school children at around thirty thousand. In this regard SSA directorate has devised a comprehensive bridge course schedule to bring these children back in the streamline, the meeting was told. It was also informed that the material for such bridge courses is ready, while over one hundred and fifty teachers of the districts having high concentration of such children have been imparted trained to facilitate the remedial education in the identified schools.
The Minister also reviewed the progress on GIS mapping of schools and was informed that around 95 percent (over twenty eight thousand schools) have been mapped. The mapping has been done of both government and private schools in the state.
The Minister also reviewed the progress of construction of schools including buildings for KGBVs, toilets in schools. He stressed on timeline completion and close monitoring of the works.