After SSA, govt plans madhyamik shiksha abhiyan

After the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA), a programme to provide upper primary level (elementary) education to every child in the country, the government plans to launch a 'Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan' to cover children in secondary school (8th to 12th standard).

The main objective of the programme, to be launched in the eleventh plan period, will be to provide universal access to education for all children by 2015 and universal retention by 2020, minister of state for human resource development, M A A Fatmi said in the Lok Sabha today.

"The government is committed to making good quality secondary education available, accessible and affordable for all children. Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan is a new major initiative to expand secondary education being taken in the 11th five year plan", he said.

The minister also provided the details of education cess that has been collected during the last three years and the current year. The proceeds of education cess are credited into a Prarambhik Shiksha Kosh (PSK) and are utilised exclusively for Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) and Mid-Day Meal (MDM) Schemes.