Evaluation Study on Impact of Non-Formal Education

Abstract

To achieve the goal of universal elementary education (UEE) the government has been trying to improve access to education by ensuring availability of schools to all within a reasonable distance from habitations, and by reducing the private direct and indirect cost o f education through schemes, like free books/uniforms, mid-day meals, Ashram Schools in tribal areas and the like Yet, all children in the age group of 6-14 years do not enroll themselves in schools and the drop-out rate at the elementary level is found to be as high as 60% in 1993-94 (Sixth All India Education Survey). It was realised by planners and administrators that even with reasonable improvement in access to formal education, the problems of non-enrolment and high drop-out would continue to exist because of poverty and illiteracy of parents and partly due to other sociocultural constraints of our society. The strategy for achieving UEE, therefore, explicitly recognizes the need for innovative and non-formal approaches to attract the out-of- school children and illiterate adults to improve access to education.