Elementary Education under Five Year Plans- Targets, Provisions and priorities

1. Elementary Education under Five Year
Plans- Targets, Provisions and priorities
Monali Madhuchhanda Pradhan
6th Semester
Roll No.- 21BEDMED20

2. Five Year Plans of India
 From 1947 to 2017, the Indian economy was premised on the concept of planning. This was
carried through the Five-Year Plans.
 Five-Year Plans (FYPs) are National Economic Programmes that are controlled and integrated.
 Five-Year Plans are developed, executed, and monitored by the Planning Commission (1951–
2014) and the NITI Aayog (2015–2017).
 In 1928, Joseph Stalin implemented the Soviet Union’s first Five-Year Plan.
 Under the socialist influence of India’s first prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, India established its
First FYP in 1951, shortly after independence.

3. Targets
- First Five Year Plan (1951 – 1956)
The first Indian Prime Minister, Jawahar Lal Nehru presented the first five-year plan to the
Parliament of India on December 8, 1951.
Target-
• To provide educational facilities to at least 60 of all children of the school-going age within
the age-group of 6-14.
- Second Five Year Plan (1956-1961)
Target-
• The emphasis was on linking education with economic development.
• It also advocated for expansion of basic and elementary education.

4. - Third Five Year Plan (1961 – 1966)
- The main emphasis was on the provision of facilities for universal elementary education for all
children in the age-group 6-11 on basic line.
- There was also a special concentration on the education of girls and to reduce the existing
disparities in the level of development in education boys and girls.
Annual Plans (1966- 1969)- No change in the approach.
- Fourth Five Year Plan (1969– 1974)
- Educational Programme in the Fourth plan were related to social and economic objectives of the
country.
- It was a prospective plan based on Manpower needs, social demand and the availability of
financial, material and human resources.
Targets

5. - Fifth Five Year Plan (1974-79)
- Very high priority was given to elementary education and adequate provision was made for
additional enrolment.
- Provisions for curricular orientation, work experience and strengthen of educational institution for
teachers.
- Annual Plan (1979-80)
- Sixth Five Year Plan (1980-85):
- Highest priority to programme of UEE to continue as a part of minimum needs programme.
- To achieve UPE in the next 5 years.
- The approach to UEE was to cover
i) intensified uses of existing facilities, including the adjustment of schooling hours which would
not be more than 3 hours a day according to local conditions,
ii) provision of new facilities which would be economically viable and educationally relevant, and
iii) promotion of non-formal system of learning.

6. Schemes which were taken up, were
i) Accepting the principle of average attendance to overcome wastage and stagnation,
ii) Ensuring that a school is available to a child within 1.5 Kms in a town and within 6 Kms in a
village,
iii) Laying emphasis upon compulsory enrolment,
iv) Bringing about the expansion of part-time informal education, and
v) Eradication of regional imbalances.

7. Seventh Five Year Plan(1985-90)
- Highest priority to realizing UEE for children in the age-group of 6-14 years by 1990.
- Emphasis shifted from mere enrolment to retention and attainment of basic elements of
learning.
- These objectives were to be achieved through formal and non-formal methods focusing
sharply on the needs of girls and the children belonging to economically and socially
weaker sections.
- Annual Plans (1990-1992)
- The Eighth Plan could not take off in 1990 due to the fast changing economic situation at
the center and the years 1990–91 and 1991–92 were treated as Annual Plans.

8. Eighth Five Year Plan(1992-1997)
- Highest priority to Universalization of free and compulsory education up to the age of 14.
- Reduction of disparities in access among states and within states, between boys and girls
and among different segments of the population and
- Improving the retention and achievement of children of the relevant age-group.
- To provide alternative channels for education to children of deprived sections and working
children.
- Reduction of drop-outs particularly among girls and children belonging to SCs, STs and other
economically and socially disadvantaged communities.

9. Programmes/Schemes:
- A National programme of Mid-day meals was started in August, 1995 to promote access,
retention and nutritional care of primary schools.
- Improvement in the quality of schooling and achievement levels of children enrolled in
schools was attempted through the introduction of minimum levels of learning (MLL) and
enhancement of infrastructure facilities.
- Operation Black Board (1987), National Programme of Nutritional Support (1995), District
Primary Education Programme (1994), Bihar Education Project (1991), UP Basic Education
Project, Mahila Samakhya, Lok Jumbish, Shiksha Karmi.

10. Ninth Five Year Plan(1997-2002)
- Commitment to total eradication of illiteracy.
To formulate and implement plans to gradually increase the governmental and non-
governmental spending on education upto 6 of the GDP this is to provide education for all.
- To Implement the constitutional provision of making primary education free and compulsory
up to 5th standard.
- The aim is to move towards equal access to and opportunity of educational standards upto
the school-learning stage. We shall strive to improve the quality of education at all levels from
primary level to our universities.

11. Strategies
i) The national goal of providing primary education as a universal basic service,
ii) The Supreme Court judgement declaring education to be a fundamental right for children
upto 14 years of age,
iii) The need to operationalize programmes through Panchayat Raj institutions (PRIS) and Urban
Local Bodies (ULBs),
iv) The legal embargo on child- labour,
v) The provisions of the Persons with Disabilities Act, 1995, and heightened awareness of
human rights violations in respect of women, children and persons from disadvantaged
sections of society.

12. Universal Access
(a) All children (age groups 6-11 and 11-14) should
have access to primary schools, upper primary schools
or their alternatives within the walking distance of one
kilometer and three kilometers respectively.
(b) Universal access to early childhood care and
education centers for all children of 3-6 years of age
(c) Need based expansion of upper primary education
facilities, particularly for disadvantaged section. There
should be one upper primary school for every two
primary schools
(d) All schools should have buildings, toilets, drinking
water, electrification, playground, black boards and
other basic facilities and
(e) Provision of one classroom for every teacher at
elementary stage.
Targets in Elementary Education in the Tenth Five Year Plan (2002-07)
Universal Enrolment
(a) Enrolment of all children in schools or other
alternatives by 2003
(b) All children complete five years of primary
schooling by 2007 and
(c) All children complete eight years of schooling by
2010
Universal Retention
(a) Universal retention in primary cycle by 2007
and in upper primary level by 2010 and
(b) Dropout rate to be reduced to less than 10
percent for grades VI-VII by 2007
Universal Achievement
Improve all aspects of quality of education (content and
process) to ensure reasonable learning outcomes at
elementary level, especially in literacy, numeracy and in
life skills.

13. • Universal enrolment of 6-14 age group children including hard to reach segment.
• Substantial improvement in quality and standards with the ultimate objective to achieve standards of KVs under CBSE
pattern.
• All genders, social and regional gaps in enrolments to be eliminated by 2011-12.
• One year ECCE for all children in the age group of 4-6 years.
• Dropouts at primary level to be eliminated and dropout rate at Elementary level to be reduced from over 50 to 20 by 2011-
12.
• Universalize MDMS at Elementary level by 2008-09.
• Universal coverage of ICT at Upper Primary schools by 2011-12.
• Lay emphasis on full retention in schools with nil dropout rate at primary level.
• Bring significant improvement in learning conditions with emphasis on learning basic skills, verbal and quantitative.
• All States/UTs to adopt NCERT Quality Monitoring Tools.
• Strengthen BRCs/CRCs setting up one CRC for every 10 schools and 5 resource teachers per block.
• SSA would have a component of one-year Early Childhood Care Education (ECCE), which can be universalized to cover
2.4 crore children in a phased manner.
Targets in Elementary Education in the 11th Five Year Plan(2007–2012)

14. Targets for Education in the Twelve Five Year Plan(2007–2012)
- Mean Years of Schooling to increase to seven years by the end of Twelfth Five Year
Plan.
- Enhance access to higher education by creating two million additional seats for
each age cohort aligned to the skill needs of the economy.
- Eliminate gender and social gap in school enrolment (that is, between girls and
boys, and between SCs, STs, Muslims and the rest of the population) by the end of
Twelfth Five Year Plan.

15. Provisions in Elementary Education
Article 45: The state shall endeavour to provide
within a period of 10 years from the
commencement of the Constitution free and
compulsory primary education for all children
until they complete the age of 14 years.
Article 46: The state shall promote with special
care the educational and economic interests of
the weaker sections of the people, and in
particular, of the SCs and STs.
Article 29(2) No citizen shall be denied
admission into any educational institution
maintained by the state or receiving aid out of
State fund on grounds of religion, race, caste,
language or any of them
Article 30(1) enjoins that "all minorities, whether based
on religion or language shall have the right to establish
and administer educational institutions of their choice,“
Article 30(2) - The State shall not, in granting aid to
educational institutions, discriminate against any
educational institution on the ground that it is under the
management of a minority whether based on religion or
language.
Article 350-(A) - It shall be the endeavor of every state
and of every local authority within the State to provide
adequate facilities for instructions in the mother-tongue
at the primary stage of education to children belonging
to linguistic minority group."

16.  The 42nd Amendment to the Constitution
of 1976 has put education in the
Concurrent List and empowered the Indian
Parliament with the authority to legislate on
education concurrently with the States.
 The 73rd and 74th Amendment to the
Constitution provided for decentralization
of school education and entrusts primary
education to Panchayati Raj Institutions
and Urban Area committees so that the
participatory and interactive management
for primary education could be evolved.
Provisions in Elementary Education
 The Central Government on 28th July 1997 introduced
83rd constitutional amendment in Rajya Sabha
proposing to make elementary education as the
fundamental right of the child.
 The Constitution of India was amended in 2002 to
make Elementary Education a justiciable Fundamental
Right.
 The Central Government on 28th July 1997 introduced
83rd constitutional amendment in Rajya Sabha
proposing to make elementary education as the
fundamental right of the child.
 The Constitution of India was amended in 2002 to
make Elementary Education a justiciable Fundamental
Right.

17. Provisions in Elementary Education
National Policy on Education, 1968
- Strenuous efforts should be made for early fulfillment of the Directive Principle under Article
45.
- Reiterated the resolve that "by 1995, all children will be provided free and compulsory
education up to 14 years of age."
- The Constitution of India was amended in 2002 to make Elementary Education a justiciable
Fundamental Right.

18. Priorities
First Five Year Plan (1951-1956): The first Five Year Plan laid the foundation for the development of education infrastructure in
India, including elementary education.
Second Five Year Plan (1956-1961): Continued emphasis on expanding access to elementary education, particularly in rural and
economically backward regions.
Third Five Year Plan (1961-1966): Consolidating gains made in elementary education and focusing on quality improvement.
Fourth Five Year Plan (1969-1974): Strengthening elementary education as a means of achieving social justice and equity.
Fifth Five Year Plan (1974-1979): Addressing issues of quality and relevance in elementary education.
Sixth Five Year Plan (1980-1985): Consolidating gains and addressing disparities.
Seventh Five Year Plan (1985-1990): Universal elementary education.
Eighth Five Year Plan (1992-1997): Universalizing access and improving quality.
Ninth Five Year Plan (1997-2002): Achieving Education For All (EFA) goals.
Tenth Five Year Plan (2002-2007): Quality enhancement and bridging disparities.
Eleventh Five Year Plan (2007-2012): Inclusive and equitable education.
Twelfth Five Year Plan (2012-2017): Holistic development and skill-building.

19. Conclusion
Elementary education remained a consistent priority throughout India's twelve Five Year Plans, with a
focus on expanding access, enhancing quality, and addressing socio-economic disparities. Significant
strides were made in increasing enrollment rates, reducing gender gaps, and implementing targeted
programs to reach marginalized communities. While progress has been notable, challenges such as
ensuring equitable access and improving quality persist. Moving forward, sustained efforts and
innovative approaches will be essential to build upon the achievements of the Five Year Plans and
further advance universal access, equity, and quality in elementary education for the nation's
development.