Proposal to improve secondary education

MALDA, 9 NOV: The department of school and education literacy, Central government, is preparing to launch Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA) in the states. The Central government, under the ministry of human resources development, has modelled RMSA after its earlier initiative, Sarba Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA), and aims to achieving Universal Access and Quality Secondary Education. Following the Centre's guidelines, the state education department is preparing SE-MIS (Secondary Education Management Information System) by collecting data from each government-aided secondary school in all districts of the state. At the district level, the Malda education department has been collecting information from secondary schools by circulating copies of Data Capture Format-2009 in all schools. This particular dossier specifies many requirements and also requires data submission. The district education officials are organizing a training programme for the heads of the secondary schools across the districts so that they can supply flawless data individually in response to the Data Capture Format. The district inspector of school, Mr. Chinmay Sarkar, said: “To prepare the project proposal for RMSA and pre-project activities, data is being collected from each government-aided school. Information, thus collected, will offer itself as ready framework for preparing, status reports on secondary education in districts, and suggestive worksheets for developing plans under RMSA.”Mr Sarkar also said that on the basis of Data Capture Format-2009, the state would prepare the budget for 2010-11 and will seek funds from the Centre for the successful implementation of RMSA.The RMSA will continue upto 2018. It may be noted that the Centre has planned to allot funds directly to the state-run secondary schools. Though many schools benefit from funding from the Centre, only 42 state-run secondary schools in West Bengal are considered government schools. The state has sought funds for these 42 state-run secondary schools for financial year 2009-10, but it could not seek funds for other government-aided schools in the state.;SNS