Centre Signs Pact With World Bank To Improve School Education In Odisha, 5 Other States

New Delhi: The central government signed a $500 million Strengthening Teaching-Learning and Results for States Programme (STARS) with the World Bank on Friday to improve school education quality and governance in six states, including Odisha.

Besides Odisha, the other five states included in the programme are Himachal Pradesh, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Rajasthan.

The programme will benefit about 250 million students (aged between 6 and 17) in 1.5 million schools and more than 10 million teachers.

Since 1994, India has been in a long partnership with the World Bank through the STARS programme for strengthening public school education and supporting India’s goal of providing ‘Education for All’, reported news agency IANS.

The bank had also provided total assistance of more than $3 billion towards this goal before the STARS programme.

“India’s National Education Policy 2020 envisages equitable and inclusive education for all. The STARS project will help carry this vision forward,” Additional Secretary, Economic Affairs, CS Mohapatra was quoted as saying by the agency.

“It will strengthen early childhood education and foundational learning; facilitate school to work transition through vocational education; improve learning assessment mechanisms; and support teacher development. This will help in the economic and social progress of the country,” Mohapatra added.

Mohapatra on behalf of the government and Junaid Ahmad, Country Director, India on behalf of the World Bank signed the agreement.

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