What: STARS Project
Who: World Bank
When: June 24, 2020
Why: To improve the quality and governance of school education in six Indian states
The World Bank Board on June 24, 2020 approved a $500 million “Strengthening Teaching-Learning and Results for States Program” (STARS) project to improve the quality and governance of school education in six Indian states.
The scheme will be implemented through the Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan, the flagship central scheme, in Himachal Pradesh, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha and Rajasthan.
Some 250 million students (between the age of 6 and 17) in 1.5 million schools, and over 10 million teachers will benefit from the program.
STARS will support India’s renewed focus on addressing the ‘learning outcome’ challenge and help students better prepare for the jobs of the future – through a series of reform initiatives. These include:
1. Focusing more directly on the delivery of education services at the state, district and sub district levels
2. Addressing demands from stakeholders, especially parents, for greater accountability and inclusion
3. Equipping teachers to manage this transformation .
3. Investing more in developing India’s human capital