Friday, July 11, 2025
spot_img

Learning and enrollment

Date:

Share post:

spot_imgspot_img

THE 9th Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) by the non-profit Pratham organization focusing on the status of schooling and basic learning of children in rural India leads to conflicting impressions. It is the third year of implementation of the Right to Education Act and enrollment has shot up to more than 96% children in the age group of six to fourteen. But the regrettable fact is that these school children are not up to the mark in literacy skills and arithmetic. The proportion of children who, at the end of class V can read a class II text remains at a mere 47% which is hardly an improvement on 2012. At the end of the lower primary school level, only one in four children can work out division sums. That is part of class III or IV curriculum in most states. It marks a very marginal increase over 2012. In the Programme for International Student Assessment evaluating skills and reading and mathematical plus scientific literacy in ten countries, India ranked nearly at the bottom. The outlay in education in India has jumped with the implementation of RTE but learning levels have hardly improved. The government covers up its failure questioning the survey design or alleging bias.
ASER does find a small but significant rise in enrollment over 2012 in private schools and in the number of children taking private tuition. Private tuition is a contentious issue. It should be noted that the number of children going to school is not as important as what they learn. Enrollment should not be equated with proper education. This paper hailed the UPA government at the New Year for achieving almost 100% enrollment at the primary level. But that may have been premature considering what these children actually learn in the classroom.

spot_imgspot_img

Related articles

22 Maoists, including eight females, surrender in Chhattisgarh

Raipur, July 11: In a significant development in Chhattisgarh's Narayanpur district, 22 Maoists laid down their arms on...

BJP looting land, forest, water: Rahul Gandhi at ‘save Constitution’ rally in Odisha

Bhubaneswar, July 11: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday targeted the BJP, alleging that the ruling party has...

Centre plans Rs 1,345 crore subsidy scheme to boost production of Rare Earth magnets

New Delhi, July 11: The Indian government has drawn up a scheme to offer subsidies to the tune...

We missed no targets in Pak, not even a glass pane broken in India: NSA Doval on Op Sindoor

New Delhi, July 11: National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval on Friday addressed the convocation ceremony at IIT...