The Scheme covers all children from the age of 4 to 18 years and has a scope across all levels of school education from Pre-school to Senior Secondary. Provision of schools on a universal basis is the pre-requisite to ensure the education of all children. Along with universal access, ensuring retention of children till completion of schooling is one of the major objectives of the Scheme.
As the aim of the scheme is to universalize quality school education, expansion of schooling facilities in the uncovered areas would be the first priority. The Integrated Scheme envisages ‘education’ in a holistic perspective and as a continuum from Pre-school, Primary, Upper Primary, and Secondary to Senior Secondary levels. The Scheme would, therefore, attempt to provide, as far as possible, an integrated/composite school system from pre- school to Senior Secondary level. This will facilitate the transition of children across various levels of school education and will aid in promoting children to complete school education. Another important aspect of approach that would guide the entire gamut of activities and interventions under the scheme and particularly with regard to provisioning of schooling facilities is focus on Disadvantaged Groups of Children.
Equity is a critical and cross-cutting theme which will guide all interventions for universal access under the scheme. Equity will mean not only equal opportunity, but also creation of conditions in which the disadvantaged sections of the society – children of SC, ST, Muslim minority, landless agricultural workers and children with special needs, etc. can avail the opportunity. School access demands addressing all exclusionary practices in the school, especially those based on caste, religion, gender and special needs etc. Access will not, therefore, be confined to ensuring that a school becomes accessible to all children within specified distances but implies an understanding of the educational needs and predicament of the traditionally excluded categories – the SC, ST and other sections of the most disadvantaged groups, the Muslim minority, and girls in general, and children with special needs. Access will also mean to address the needs and requirement of other disadvantaged categories of children such as children affected with migration, urban deprived children, children whose families are involved in stigmatized professions, homeless children, children without adult protection, children affected with Left Wing Extremism (LWE), internal strife, transgender, children affected with violence and all other categories who would require additional support for access to schools and participation therein.
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