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Bangalore: UNICEF, in association with Azim Premji Foundation and the Karnataka Government, will be spending Rs 7.5 crore on a comprehensive strategy to improve the quality of education and infrastructure as part of the `Child-friendly School Initiative' programme in the State.

The programme aims at evolve a quality package to attract all children to attend school, develop school quality index based on the quality specifications that have been validated through implementation in the ongoing project schools and Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (mass literacy), and develop State-level standards of educational quality in learning, content, teaching and learning processes and effective home-school relations.

The partnership between the three organisations has undertaken school improvement plan in north-eastern Karnataka where each of the 542 schools in Shorapur and Deodurg blocks of Gadag and Raichur districts respectively would develop their own school improvement plan based on quality specifications to ensure universalisation of elementary education and quality learning in the school.

The programme, launched in October this year, is expected to be implemented by December next.

Speaking to newspersons on the occasion of the release of the `The State of the World's Children' by Unicef on Friday, Ms Maria Calivis, Unicef Representative to India, and Mr Azim Premji, Chairman of Wipro, stressed that providing basic quality education, particularly to girls, should be the relentless mission of the society as a whole.

Ms Calivis said that it was ironical that expanding economic opportunities was in tandem with undiminished insecurity in the society emanating from conflicts, unemployment and the scourge of HIV.

"As India continues with economic reforms, we must not lose of millions of children, especially girls, who never see the inside of a classroom. To unleash the country's potential and allow development to transform millions of lives, we need to relentlessly assure basic quality education for all, with particular attention to girls."

Mr Premji said that in the 21st century, the current state of girl children was "simply unacceptable".

Highlighting the gender discrimination in providing education and the unabated crimes on women, he said: "It is an established fact that a literate mother cannot only ensure that her child goes to the school but is also equipped to bring up her children in healthier and safer way. More importantly, education empowers her to make informed choices in life thereby releasing her from the social tyranny of being subordinate to the male gender."

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