Evaluation Study of Axom Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan Mission with Regards to Deprive Urban Children

The Government of Assam launched the Axom Sarva Siksha Abhiyan Mission, a society under EducationDepartment, in 2001 with the primary aim of universalizing elementary education in Assam. Sarva Siksha Abhiyan aims at reaching out all children with a special focus on the most disadvantage groups such as domestic servants, sibling care, and children working in hotels/garages/shops etc. The problems of deprived urban children are peculiar and different from other groups. This calls for special interventions, strategy and approach. Hence, the investigator carried out a study targeting deprived urban children to find out the rate of dropout and to see achievement level of learners in terms of their literacy and numeracy scores and highlighting the suggestion for improving implementation of the programme. One hundred and twenty (120) learners were considered as respondents. The major finding revealed that there had been wide variation in enrolment status of learners and the drop-out rate from special training classes of SSA, ranged from 10.26 per cent to 36 per cent. The reasons for drop-out explained by the learners were lack of time, discouragement by the family members, ill health, distance of the centre from the residence etc. But the achievement level of learners in respect of writing ability, numerical ability and general ability was seen quite improved. The aforesaid finding has provided useful information regarding the process involving in reaching out to the deprived urban children through SSA mission and thus has provided an insight in to the working of the scheme.