After DPEP, Aurangabad readies itself for UPEP

After DPEP, Aurangabad readies itself for UPEP
EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE

AURANGABAD MARCH 1: As the seven year long World Bank-aided District Primary Education Programme (DPEP) nears completion in the district in 2001, the Zilla Parishad Education Department here is gearing up for the launch of the next phase - Upper Primary Education Programme, i.e. the vertical expansion programme.

Aurangabad is the first district in the country to be chosen for implementation of the Central government-aided programme to be launched in 2001-2.

While the DPEP focussed its attention on children between the age group of six and eleven years, from class one to five, the vertical expansion programme will cater to enrollment, access, drop-out and quality of education at the upper primary level, i.e. class six to class eight.

This will help arrest drop-out rates at the two crucial stages - immediately after completion of primary school - where it is 18 per cent and at the end of the upper primary stage where it is a whopping 25 per cent.

However, the target group of students in the second phase will be all those who have completed primary education and not just those falling between the age group of 11 and 14.

"Currently, we are busy making a baseline survey of the upper primary education in the district and expect to complete it by April end," head of the DPEP, Shrikant Kulkarni, told The Indian Express. The survey is being undertaken in three blocks of the district - Gangapur, Paithan and Aurangabad.

There is a general feeling among educationists that while the Universal Elementary Education programme comprises primary as well as the upper primary stages, the focus so far has remained on the primary stage alone.

But, over the years expansion at the primary level has put pressure for expansion on the upper primary level of education, Kulkarni said.