Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan and its Implementation: A Case Study of Jammu and Kashmir

Jammu and Kashmir, one of the border states of India, is considered an educationally backward state. The literacy rate of Jammu and Kashmir is 68.74% as per Census 2011 which is low in comparison to the national literacy rate. The state has implemented Sarva Shiksha Abhiyaan (SSA), a comprehensive and integrated flagship programme of Government of India to attain Universalization of Elementary Education (UEE) covering the entire country in a mission mode, since the year 2002-2003. The scheme which targets all children in the age-group 6-14 years lays emphasis on bridging all gender and social category gaps at elementary education level with time bound objectives. The present paper aims to study of SSA in Jammu and Kashmir and understand its contribution to elementary education in J&K. The paper would also explore the efforts made for univeralization of elementary education by the Jammu and Kashmir government under SSAbesides suggesting a few strategies to improve elementary education in the state.