Siddiqui, Javed
(2018)
Transforming rural primary schools: case for community
centred approach.
Learning Curve (30).
pp. 56-59.
Abstract
India has the exceptional achievement of having
a primary school (class I-V) within one kilometer
in 98 percent of its habitations. Access to physical
infrastructure is matched in official records with
enrolment in excess of 96 percent. But the good
progress on getting rural children to schools is,
however, substantially lost with low retention and
insufficient learning levels, restricting opportunities
for their future lives as citizens, parents and
contributing members of the economy. ASER 1 2016
shows that 27 percent of all children in Std. VIII
were unable to read a Std II level text, almost 57
percent were unable to solve a 3-digit by 1-digit
division sum. The proportion of children in Class III
who are able to read at least Class I level is barely
42.5 percent.
Transforming Rural India (TRI) baselines focused
on rural primary schools across 17 districts in
east-central India showed even poorer results.
Further, it found rural schools are rarely open for
full school hours, on an average we have 25 percent
regular teachers and 25 percent untrained ‘guest’
teachers and almost 50 percent vacancy. It is not a
surprise that parents are pulling their children out
of government schools: these are truly worrying
statistics. Our schools are failing to equip children
with basic skills and setting stagnation in inter-
generational mobility. In rural schools, the majority
of children are first time learners and, with over
half of the parents never having been to school,
their aspirations from schooling includes support
in furthering family advancement. Thus, the social
cost of this systematic neglect of rural schools
includes the family and the community.
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