In an attempt to improve the education system for pre-primary to Class 12, the state school education department discussed the proposal regarding implementation of Strengthening Teaching-Learning and Results for states (STARS) project in the state cabinet meeting on Thursday. Varsha Gaikwad, school education minister of Maharashtra, said, "The cabinet has approved the project which will be implemented in the next five years."
The STAR project will emphasise on efforts to provide proper and integrated education with a focus on improving school training and educational quality, formulating a comprehensive policy to make the education system transparent. Gaikwad said, "We have introduced the issue of improving assessment and test methods under this project. The International Student Assessment Program (ISAP) covers a number of issues, including training teachers to acquire teaching skills."
The STAR project will be implemented at the state level by the Integrated State Implementation Society (SIS) of the Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan. An independent Lokpal-like mechanism will be set up for education at the national level. Gaikwad said, "The total cost of the project will be Rs 976 crore, of which Rs 390 crore will be spent by the state government and Rs 586 crore will be provided by the central government."
The project will aim to improve the overall development and school training of students in Maharashtra. Gaikwad said, "We will initiate teacher training at different levels. We will also train teachers to pay special attention to children with special needs, girls and students from disadvantaged communities."
Apart from this, vocational education at secondary school level and empowerment and upliftment of State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT) and District Institutes of Education and Training (DIETS) have been included in the Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan program. Gaikwad said, "We aim to implement the STAR project in Maharashtra in the course of the next five years."
A total of six states, including Maharashtra, have been selected for the STAR project funded by the World Bank on the basis of performance in the performance grading index. These include Himachal Pradesh, Odisha, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Kerala.
