Former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s Contribution towards Education Sector

Former Prime Minister of India, Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee who was one of the most beloved leaders of India took his last breath on August 16, 2018, at AIIMS New Delhi. The demise of Atal Bihari Vajpayee has shocked the nation. Indian citizens will remember the key contributions made by Atal Bihari Vajpayee in the various fields during his tenure as Prime Minister of India from 1998 to 2004. He served as PM of India thrice, 13 days in 1996, 11 months from 1998 to 1999 and then a full term from 1999 to 2004.

In 2015, Atal Bihari Vajpayee was conferred the highest civilian award, i.e., Bharat Ratna. In 2014, the Government of India announced that Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s birthday on December 25 would be marked as Good Governance Day.

Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s Contribution towards Education:

Atal Bihari Vajpayee was a key contributor to the Indian education sector. He was successful in launching his dream project - ‘Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan’ during his tenure.

Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan – A Dream Project of Atal Bihari Vajpayee:

Former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee launched Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) in 2000-2001. As per the scheme, the government decided to provide free and compulsory education to children between 6 to 14 years. The SSA scheme witnessed a massive success within a few years. The school dropout rate declined from 80 lakh in 2009 to 30 lakh in 2012. The net enrolment ratio in schools at primary level had also increased to 99.8%.

In order to formulate the SSA scheme, Vajpayee government took District Primary Education Programme (DPEP) as a role model. DPEP was taken up during 1993-94 with an aim to improve the scenario of primary education in the country.

Also Read: Role of Education in Attaining Indian Independence

CollegeDekho salutes the contributions made by Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee to the Indian nation.