NEW DELHI: The Union Human Resource Development (HRD) Ministry's plan to make universalisation of secondary education a major Eleventh Plan initiative has got a fillip with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh approving a Planning Commission proposal to adopt the mission mode to meet the growing demand for secondary schooling.

After the Mid-Term Review of the Tenth Plan earlier this year, the Planning Commission had suggested the formulation of a mission to address the surge in demand for secondary education anticipated by the turn of the decade as a result of the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) — also a mission mode endeavour — to universalise elementary education.

According to the Planning Commission, the increased demand for secondary education would be a key issue in the Eleventh Plan and involve substantial resource implications. Assuming that the Knowledge Commission — set up by the Prime Minister to suggest ways to consolidate India's position as a "knowledge power" — is already looking into this, the Planning Commission has offered to tie-up with it to formulate a mission for secondary education in the Eleventh Plan.

The good tidings for secondary education come from the top echelons of power at a time when the HRD Ministry is drawing up a plan to make universalisation of secondary education (USE) a major thrust area in the Eleventh Plan as 22 million students are estimated to be eligible for secondary education by the end of this decade.

Though universalisation of elementary education is still five years away as per the SSA target, the Ministry is working on the premise that it is not wise to wait for 2010 to draw up a roadmap for USE. This is also the advice from the Central Advisory Board of Education committee entrusted with the task of drawing up a blueprint for USE. The committee had, in fact, suggested that the Government begin making investments towards USE from the stage of the revised estimates for the current fiscal itself. However, given the huge investment required, the Ministry is working towards having a strategy in place by the Eleventh Plan beginning 2007.

Another Planning Commission proposal in education for the Eleventh Plan, which has met the Prime Minister's approval, pertains to funding university and college education. Approving the Planning Commission's suggestion that proposals for funding higher education could be drawn up taking into account inputs from the Knowledge Commission, the Prime Minister called for an interim report by year-end.

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