Mr. A. Muthukumar (IAS)
The 86th Constitutional Amendment Act 2002 made education a Fundamental Right for children in the age group of 6-14 years by providing that “the State shall provide free and compulsory education to all children of the age of six to fourteen years in such manner as the State may, by law, determineâ€.
Jharkhand, being a newly formed state has capitalized on its new State advantage and taken concrete steps towards development initiatives. Formation of Jharkhand Education Project Council (JEPC) was a part of this initiative. JEPC is an autonomous body registered under the Societies Registration Act 1860. The Council has been established for bringing about a fundamental change in the elementary education system and directly influence the overall socio-cultural scenario.
The Council was registered on April 12th, 2001 and since it’s inception it has been actively implementing various Projects/Programmes like Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) and Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidayalaya (KGBV).
The overall progress recorded during financial year 2014-15 is noteworthy and representing JEPC’s strong commitment to the field of elementary education. The achievements made during the year have been a result of year long systematic processes and procedures spread across the entire year.
The targets set for individual components in Annual Work Plan were systematically implemented and tracked through the entire year for ensuring adherence to Work Plan. Systematic monitoring and review mechanisms were in place for ensuring compliance to approved plan. As a result of these efforts the enrollment of children has improved and dropout rates as well as social and gender gaps have been reduced. The changes brought about in these indicators indicative of considerable progress towards the Government’s commitment for improving the status of education in the State.
