Poor Quality of Educationin India's Elementary Schools- What’s the solution to this problem?

Presented By:Ajay Kumar Shukla Devi Dayal Singh K. K. PathakRanga Rao V. Renu PantSreedhar B.Subodh Yadav

Introduction

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• Achieving universal education in a vast, diverse and dynamic

nation like India requires due consideration to a plethora of

complex factors.

• Challenges in implementation of the RTE Act and lack of focus

towards quality of education has resulted in the country lagging

behind on imparting quality education for all sections of its

population.

• Some of the challenges faced by the nation and potential

solutions required to be implemented are highlighted in this

presentation.

• Accessibility • Infrastructure• Enrolment, Drop Out and Retention• Quality (Input & Outcome)• Technology• Financial Issue i.e. Scholarship and Budgetary

Assistance• Follow Up and Monitoring Mechanism• Motivational System• Categorical Biases i.e. gender, caste, community• Social Pressure and Awareness

Issues

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• Transfer/posting and personnel related issues• Availability of Non Teaching Staff and using of

teachers in Non Teaching Activity• Absenteeism• Pedagogical Skills & Professional Capacity

Building• Penal deterrence and Motivational reluctance• Monitoring and Evaluation issues• Financial Issues

Teachers Related Issues

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• More than 90% students got access (Closer to Universal Education)

• Public-Private School Ratio 7:5 (29% Students get private education)

• Drop Out (29% before Vth Std, 43% before VIIIth Std.)• Only 53% Schools have Functional Girls Toilet• Literacy Rate (in %)

• Year Total Male Female• 2001 64.8 75.3 53.7• 2011 74.0 82.1 65.5

• Budget Provisions• Year Expenditure (% of GDP)• 2000-01 4.28% • 2009-10 3.85%

Current Scenario (1/2)

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(During the period 2000-01 to 2013-14)• Total Number of schools imparting elementary education

increased by 71.4 %• Primary Schools (Class I-V) increased by 34.5% • Upper Primary Schools (Class VI-VIII) increased by 185.9%

• Gross Enrollment Ratio (GER) in elementary education increased from 81.6% to 97.0%.

• Overall increase in enrolment in primary education was 18.6 million

• Boys 4.6 million and Girls 14.0 million (increased 5.3%).

Current Scenario (1/3)

6Source: Statistics of School Education, 2007-08, MHRD, G0I; Educational Statistics at a Glance, 2011, MHRD, GoI; Statistics of School Education, 2010-11; U-DISE, NUEPA

Current Status of India’s Elementary Schools (1/4)

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5.3% increase in girls’ enrolment as %age of total enrolment in elementary education(Between FY01 & FY14)

Source: Statistics of School Education, 2007-08, MHRD, G0I; Educational Statistics at a Glance, 2011, MHRD, GoI; Statistics of School Education, 2010-11; U-DISE, NUEPA

Current Status of India’s Elementary Schools (1/5)

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Number of teachers engaged in teaching in schools imparting elementary education was 5.22 mn in FY07 which increased to 7.72 mn in FY14

Source: Statistics of School Education, 2007-08, MHRD, G0I; Educational Statistics at a Glance, 2011, MHRD, GoI; Statistics of School Education, 2010-11; U-DISE, NUEPA

~ 41% in Government Schools ~ 47% in Private Schools

Reading levels remain low and unchanged

Current Status of Learning Outcomes at Elementary Level (1/6)

9Source: Annual Status of Education Report 2014

~ 32% in Government Schools ~ 40% in Private Schools

Proportion of “Class III” students who can read “Class I” text books

Proportion of “Class V” students who can read “Class II” text books

~50% of all students in “Class V”

are not able to read fluently

a “Class II” textbook

~60% of all Students in “Class III”

are not able to read fluently

a “Class I” textbook

~75% of all Students in “Class III”

are not able to read fluently

a “Class II” textbook

Current Status of Learning Outcomes at Elementary Level (1/7)

10Source: Annual Status of Education Report 2014

Math continues to be a serious and major source of concern

~ 27% in Government Schools ~ 40% in Private Schools

~ 19% in Government Schools ~ 45% in Private Schools

Proportion of “Class III” students who can do basic subtraction

Proportion of “Class V” students who can do division problems of lower classes

~74% of all Students in “Class III”

are not able do two digit subtractions

~74% of all Students in “Class V”

are not able to do division

Current Policy and Regimeyear Policy

1950 Constitution made free and compulsory elementary education as directive principle

1986 National Policy of Education (NPE)

1993 Shri UnniKrishnan Judgement

1995 Mid-Day Meal Scheme (MDM)

1998 Education Ministers Resolve

1999 National Committee’s Report on UEE in the mission mode

2001 Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA)

2009 Right to Education Act

India’s Education Landscape : Key Policies/Interventions

India’s Education Landscape : Current Policy and Program Regime

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• The RTE Act has been instrumental in catalyzing the progress by setting out key implementation targets in terms of:

Increasing enrollments

Reducing the number

of Out of School

Children

Increasing teachers with professional qualifications

Improving school facilities

like drinking water, library, toilets,

computers, classrooms, and playgrounds, etc

Ensuring limited

drop-outs

• However, the current focus and emphasis is majorly targeted towards enrollment numbers and improving infrastructure standards of schools.

Key Concern : Loss of focus on providing quality educationThe ability to reach under privileged segments of the society with quality education that will

impart equal education opportunities for all sections of the society is yet to be achieved.

Global Practices (1/4)

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UNITED STATES OF AMERICA : Developed Nation

• In USA, the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), 1965, envisions equal opportunities for quality education to children and provides for grants to states for improving the quality of K-12 education. The ESEA was re-authorized several times after its enactment, the most recent being the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act, 2002.

• Key features of NCLB, which distinguishes it from India’s RTE Act:

o Stress on Learning Outcomes in Mathematics and Reading:

NCLB mandates states to test students annually for Mathematics and Reading in Classes 3 to 8 and once in Class 10 to 12, and for Science: the students will be tested once in Standard 3 to 5, 6 to 8 and 10 to 12.

o Mandate on Information Dissemination and Awareness:

It is mandatory for states, individual schools and school districts to publish the test results publicly in the aggregate as well as for specific students’ subgroups. NCLB empowers parents by making it compulsory for states and local school districts to disseminate information to parents on how their student and the schools is performing in the form of annual school report cards. Parents are also given the right under NCLB to be informed about the qualification of their child’s teacher.

Global Practices (2/4)

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UNITED STATES OF AMERICA : Developed Nation

o Strict guidelines and action plans with timelines for schools to meet targets:

NCLB has strict guidelines for schools for meeting the target of adequate yearly progress (AYP) chosen by the state with options such as school improvement / school transfer, corrective action, restructuring defined.

o Rewards and recognition for high performing schools and teachers:

NCLB requires states to award schools that meet or exceed the achievement goals. States may also use funds to reward teachers in such schools. Schools that have made the greatest achievement gains are designated as ‘distinguished schools’ by states.

National Practices (3/4)

Rajasthan : Example from States

Rajasthan was never considered to be educationally forward state, but due to following initiatives the picture has changed:• Consolidation of 17000 elementary schools with

Secondary schools.• Planned to create Secondary School in every

Panchayat• Proper and transparent transfer system.• Pre paid transport vouchers to the students.• Creation of Online repository of teaching

materials.

• No thrust on Quality & Upgradation• Competition after Post Liberalization• Failed to meet the demands of the parents• Poor Human Resource Management• Choice of Teaching- A Last Option• Low Technological Initiatives • No Detention Policy • Budget Allocations

Reasons for Failure

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• Pedagogical and Evaluation Related• Management and Administrative• Legal Augmentation• Health and Nutrition • Technological Advancement• Financial Support• Public Private Partnership/CSR• Informal Schools• Different State level Initiatives

Types of Initiatives

• Ensuring sufficient number of Trained Teachers on continuous basis

• Focus on learning outcomes

• Setting up of a National/State Education Standard for Schools

• Quality Utilization of Teachers

• Infrastructure strengthening utilizing Private fund

• Improved funding for school infrastructure

Policy Suggestions

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• Use of Technology

• Consolidation of Elementary Schools

• Proper Human Resource Policy

• Transport/Education Voucher Scheme

• Focus on English Medium

• Online and live teaching learning Material (Knowledge Repository)

• Developing common/shared vision

Policy Suggestions

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