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6. Education and Skill Development

Overview

India is on the threshold of a demographic dividend - a dividend that is waiting to be reaped. For this dividend to be meaningful however, education, the basic right to which is now guaranteed by the constitution of India, needs to be supplemented with a skill development strategy that can ensure gainful employment.

Focus Areas

1. Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) - the principle programme for universalization of elementary education in the country

The Right to Free and Compulsory Education is a Fundamental Right guaranteed with the passage of RTE Act, 2009. All the States have already notified States Rules under the RTE Act.  Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA), which is the principle programme for universalization of elementary education in the country, has been harmonized with RTE mandate for free and compulsory education for all children in the age group of 6 -14 years. SSA enhances access to primary education provisions for additional classrooms, improving drinking water supply and toilet facilities, as well as recruiting additional teachers to bring down high pupil teacher ratio and improve the overall enrolment rate.

2. Enhancing Employability through Skill Development

To make growth inclusive, the 12th Five Year Plan has placed special emphasis on prioritizing skill training for the informal sector and developing appropriate skill sets among rural migrants and urban poor. The plan has set forth a target of creating 50 million additional non-farm job opportunities in manufacturing and service sector.

The plan also targets to increase the percentage of workforce receiving formal training from present 10% to 25%. It also seeks to double the existing training capacity of 4.5 million to achieve the target of non-farm opportunities and also to improve access to formal training.