Master Trainers Undergo Training For School-Level Social Audit In Bhubaneswar

Bhubaneswar: In order to conduct school-level social audit, the first batch of master trainers were imparted training in Bhubaneswar on Friday.

The training program was organised by the Odisha School Education Program Authority (OSEPA) in collaboration with OSSAAT at Krushi Bhawan in Bhubaneswar. Prof Sarad Sinha from the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) and the team led the training, imparting essential knowledge and skills to the master trainers.

Earlier, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed with the Social Audit Unit (OSSAAT), Department of Panchayati Raj and Drinking Water, to implement the school-level social audit program under the Samagra Shiksha Scheme.

This initiative aligns with the Sustainable Development Goal for Education (SDG-4) which aims to provide inclusive, equitable, quality, and holistic school education.

The Samagra Shiksha Scheme, an integrated school education scheme, spans from pre-school classes to class XII. It aims at ensuring comprehensive development and improvement in the quality of education across the country. To further enhance transparency and accountability in its implementation, the scheme has introduced a social audit mechanism.

The Social Audit of Samagra Shiksha will serve as an independent monitoring and tracking mechanism. It will collect information on various programs, initiatives, and activities under the scheme, with a focus on gathering inputs from stakeholders at the grassroots level, particularly from schools. It aims to enhance public accountability in the Samagra Shiksha implementation process.

Under the guidelines, the Social Audit Unit will conduct social audits in all government schools over a five-year period, covering 20% of the total government schools annually.