A Study of Distance Education Programme (DEP) in the Context of SSA in Jammu and Kashmir

Sarva Shiksha Abhiyaan (SSA) is a flagship national programme of the Government of India for the Universalisation of elementary education between 6-14 years of age groups. This programme is not only a response of the government to the demand for quality basic education all over the country but it is an opportunity for promoting social justice through basic education as well. The entire scheme which is being implemented throughout the country has different components viz. gender, access, quality education, community mobilization, Teaching-Learning Material (TLM), Computer-Aided Learning (CAL) etc. An important component of SSA is the Distance Education Programme (DEP) which is popularly known as DEP-SSA. It provides need-based support to state SSA functionaries through technology mediated learning. Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU), the apex institution in the field of Open Distance Learning (ODL) has been entrusted with the responsibility to implement distance learning interventions across the country to meet the training and learning needs of states at elementary level. The present paper explores the need for DEP-SSA programme in J&K. The education sector in J&K which was hit badly by the 24-year long violence has poor quality teachers which adversely affect the students. The untrained Rehber-e-Taleem (Educational Guide) who are initially appointed under a state government scheme as teachers, do not have adequate training and there number is significant. Thus, our State has a sizeable group of untrained teachers, like many other states of the country. According to rough figures, about twenty thousand teachers are without any professional training and the number is increasing by the day. The MHRD has expressed concern over the ever increasing number of teachers not having professional training and its adverse impact on the teaching-learning activities. The paper would focus on Distance Education and Teacher education in J&K State and how it can help in achieving quality education by organizing teachers training and capacity enhancement programmes to up-grade the level of teachers besides reorientation courses regularly.