Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan

At a Glance

• Ministry Education
• Launched 2018-19
• Type Centrally Sponsored Scheme
• Coverage Pre-school to Class 12
• Merged SSA, RMSA, Teacher Education
• Exam link UPSC Prelims, Current Affairs and Government Schemes: Education and Skill Development Schemes

Where Does It Fit?

This is the first topic of the macro on education and skill development. It is the main funding vehicle for school education, and the policy framework that guides it is covered in the next topic. Previous topic: Eat Right India Movement. Next topic: National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.

What Did Samagra Shiksha Merge and Cover?

What Interventions Does the Scheme Fund?

• Access: new schools, upgrading of schools, classrooms, toilets, drinking water and laboratories, with focus on remote habitations
• Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalayas: residential schools for girls from disadvantaged groups, now upgraded up to Class 12 in many places
• Inclusive education: support for children with special needs from pre-school to Class 12, with aids, resource teachers and barrier-free access
• Free textbooks and uniforms: provided to girls and children from Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and BPL families under the Right to Education norms
• NIPUN Bharat: a national mission launched on 5 July 2021 to ensure foundational literacy and numeracy for every child by Class 3 by 2026-27
• Digital education: ICT labs, smart classrooms and support for PM eVIDYA, DIKSHA and TV channels for remote learning
• Vocational education: vocational courses in secondary and senior secondary schools, with trainers and equipment
• Teacher training: in-service training under the National Initiative for School Heads’ and Teachers’ Holistic Advancement, called NISHTHA, and support for District Institutes of Education and Training

What Else Should You Remember?

• Right to Education: the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009 gives every child aged 6 to 14 a right to elementary education under Article 21A, inserted by the 86th Constitutional Amendment of 2002
• RTE Act norms: pupil teacher ratio of 30:1 at primary level, a 25 per cent reservation for disadvantaged children in private schools, and no detention policy that was later modified in 2019
• Link to NEP 2020: the scheme was aligned with National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 from 2021-22 and funds its roll-out, as in National Education Policy (NEP) 2020
• Link to PM SHRI: exemplar schools are separately funded, as in PM SHRI Schools (PM Schools for Rising India)
• Link to school meals: meals in schools are supported under a separate scheme, as in Mid-Day Meal Scheme (PM POSHAN)
• Girls’ education: the scheme supports gender parity, and the national campaign for girls is in Beti Bachao Beti Padhao
• Outcomes data: UDISE+ is the official school data system, and the Performance Grading Index tracks state performance on school education indicators
• Learning gaps: the Annual Status of Education Report and the National Achievement Survey have flagged weak reading and arithmetic in lower classes
• PARAKH: a national assessment centre set up under NEP 2020, which ran its first large survey, called PARAKH Rashtriya Sarvekshan, for classes 3, 6 and 9
• Funding disputes: some states have complained of delay or withholding of central releases linked to adoption of NEP related conditions, and the matter has been politically contested, as reported
• Status: the 2021-26 approval ended in March 2026, and the next phase for the new Finance Commission cycle needs to be checked in current Cabinet and Ministry releases, as a national approval was not confirmed in sources reviewed
• Constitutional link: Education is in the Concurrent List, and Article 45 now directs the State to provide early childhood care and education until six years

Why Does It Matter for the Exam?

1. Merger: SSA, RMSA and teacher education
2. Coverage: pre-school to Class 12
3. Funding: 60:40, and 90:10 for the north-east and Himalayan states
4. Missions: NIPUN Bharat on 5 July 2021 and the Right to Education Act, 2009
5. Traps: Samagra Shiksha is Centrally Sponsored, not Central Sector, and higher education is not covered

As an analytical point, funding for access has moved enrolment close to universal, but learning outcomes lag. The scheme will deliver more if money is tied to foundational learning, teacher training and timely, predictable releases to states.

Why Is This Topic Important?

• Facts Merger, coverage, funding
• Policy Federal education financing
• Mains Access versus learning

What Came Next?

The next topic covers the national policy that guides the scheme. Next topic: National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.

Key People and Terms

• SSA Elementary education scheme
• RMSA Secondary scheme
• KGBV Girls’ residential school
• UDISE+ School data system
• NISHTHA Teacher training
• FLN Foundational literacy and numeracy

Exam Corner

Mains Angle

Questions ask about the gap between access and learning. These points give a frame.

• Gains Access, equity, girls
• Gaps Learning outcomes, teachers
• Way Outcome linked funding