ROLE OF NON GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS IN SARVA SHIKSHA ABHIYAN  

Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan conceives a vibrant partnership with Non Governmental Organizations in the area of capacity building, both in communities and in resource institutions. These partnerships will require nurturing through an on going partnership in activities. The Research, Evaluation, Monitoring activities under the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan is proposed to be done in partnership with institutions/NGOs. This would improve transparency of programme interventions and would also encourage a more open assessment of achievements. In the education sector, non-governmental organizations have been making very meaningful contributions. Work related to pedagogy, mainstreaming out of school children, developing effective teacher training programmes, organising community for capacity development for planning and implementation, expressing gender concerns, work in the sphere of disability among children, are some such examples. Their partnership is conceived in three ways:

§          through direct funding by Central and State governments;

§          through funding activities by identified National and State Resource Institutions;

§         through participation in community activities funded by Village Education Committees.

NGOs can discharge a very useful role in advocacy as well as accountability of the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan.   Under the Education Guarantee Scheme (EGS) and Alternative and Innovative Education (AIE), it has been decided to fund NGOs (other than experimental and innovative Projects) through State Implementation Societies. It will also be possible to record the contribution of NGO Projects in the District Elementary Education Plans, as their interventions would also be made in the DEEP. It will facilitate transparency of NGO activities also. Substantial partnership of NGOs is conceived through community organisations like VEC, PTA, MTA, SMCs, etc. This is suggested so that NGOs actually participate in building capacities in the community. Efforts to explore a longer-term partnership with NGOs with a well-defined arrangement for continuity will be encouraged.