UNICEF action on education

  • Improve quality of education

  • Increase access to education by disadvantaged children, specially girls

  • Improve monitoring systems and data analysis


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    UNICEF supports the government of India's Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan to ensure all children have access to quality education and complete a full course of primary schooling.

    Building on existing initiatives and recent successes, the major thrusts of the current GOI-UNICEF Elementary Education Programme rest on: Improving school effectiveness (with emphasis on gender parity) through a holistic and gender sensitive understanding of good quality education and demonstration of a scaleable quality package.

    Developing context-specific strategies to reach out to girls, especially from socially disadvantaged groups - urban poor, tribal, scheduled caste, and working children - in order to eliminate gender and social disparity in access as well as achievement.

    Enhancing the research base to ensure effective analysis, action and advocacy at all levels, UNICEF's strategy is built around three inter-linked themes: access, quality and equity in primary education. Addressing the needs of out-of-school children is a short-term, yet critical intervention, to provide those who have missed the proverbial school bus another chance.

    Improving quality on the other hand is equally critical - a long-term strategy to significantly reduce the number of out-of-school children as well as to improve overall levels of retention and achievement, success is contingent on strong linkages between families/communities and school.

    Educational research and analysis is the cementing factor and provides critical inputs for effective is the cementing factor and provides critical inputs for effective planning and implementation.

    UNICEF supports the Government of India to meet the MDG 2 and 3 and national goals as outlined in the eleventh FIVE year plan.

    UNICEF works to:

  • Strengthen policy and implementation capacity of State and National players to reduce disparities and support disadvantaged groups.
  • Support accountable and responsive local government systems to achieve MDGs / local development goals specially for disadvantaged groups, women and girls.
  • Ensure 11th Plan Targets related to the MDGs on track in at least one district in each of the 7 priority states.
  • Enhance ability of civil society groups and Government systems to respond to disasters.

    UNICEF works with the Ministry of Human Resource Development, States Governments of identified states, National University of Educational Planning and Administration (NUEPA), National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) and its state counterparts, National Council for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR), Non Governmental Organisations working with education, Civil Society Organisations and children to ensure that:

    1. Policies are developed to ensure greater access to both elementary and secondary education and quality standards, including learning outcomes; and reduction of illiteracy amongst girls, scheduled castes and scheduled tribes

    2. Policies and programmes are strengthened, with budgets increased and fully utilised to improve access and retention as well as improve quality of education in terms of child friendly school environment and learning outcomes

    The main vehicle for UNICEF action is the partnership with Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) the flagship elementary education of Govt. of India. UNICEF’s two critical lines of programmatic action are QUALITY with Equity.

    UNICEF education programmes at the national level as well as with Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Orissa, West Bengal, Assam, Jharkhand, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat and Maharashtra on quality and inclusion through the Child Friendly Inclusive Schools and Systems.

    UNICEF is closely partnering the Govt. of India in institutionalising the concept of Child Friendly Inclusive Schools and Systems concept (CFISS) within the SSA.

    The Child Friendly Inclusive Schools and Systems Concept

    • Is a child-seeking school and actively identifies ALL excluded children to enroll, retain them in schools and supports their effective learning

    • It is a child-centred school and supports realisation of the child’s full potential, takes care of the “WHOLE” child - health, nutritional status, well-being, safety, before they enter school and after they leave school.

    All this is achieved with the Involvement of the children, families, and communities.

    The concept ensures equality of opportunity for all children, provides education that is free and compulsory, affordable and accessible, does not exclude, discriminate, or stereotype children and responds to diversity -- meets the differing circumstances and needs of children.

    These key elements are further broken down into actionable points for implementation on the field. UNICEF is now working to include these within the ongoing teacher training schedules.

    • © UNICEF India
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