Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan

The core objective of Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) was to ensure that every child could enter school, continue studying and complete elementary education of satisfactory quality. It sought universalisation of elementary education for children aged 6-14 years, covering Classes I-VIII, through access, retention, equity and improved learning.

Universal access and completion

SSA treated universalisation as more than opening schools or enrolling children. Its objective extended to keeping children in education until they completed the elementary stage.

• Universal access and enrolment meant bringing all children into elementary education, including those who had never enrolled or had dropped out.
• Universal retention meant enabling children to continue through the full elementary cycle rather than leaving school prematurely.
• The programme supported new schools in unserved habitations and additional classrooms, teachers, drinking water and toilets in existing schools.

Equity and meaningful learning

SSA combined expansion of schooling with social inclusion and quality improvement. School participation was intended to lead to useful learning, not merely attendance or a place on the enrolment register.

• It sought to bridge gender and social-category gaps, with particular attention to girls and children from disadvantaged communities.
• Inclusive education measures sought to enable children with special needs to participate in elementary education.
• Teacher training, teaching-learning materials and academic support were intended to improve classroom teaching and children's learning.
• Support for out-of-school children, including special training under the right-to-education framework, aimed to enable their admission and participation in age-appropriate classes.

Policy and rights framework

SSA was a centrally sponsored scheme implemented in partnership with states. Community participation and decentralised planning were important elements of its approach.

• Article 21A provides for free and compulsory education for children aged 6-14 years in the manner determined by law.
• The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009 gave statutory effect to this right, and SSA became a principal programme supporting its implementation.
• From 2018-19, SSA was subsumed within Samagra Shiksha, which brought school education from pre-school to Class XII under an integrated scheme.