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Society
Reading Between
the Numbers
by Kaushiki Rao
Rani Kumari,
11, from Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh has been going to school for the past
six years. A Standard 6 student, she is in the appropriate grade for her
age and attends school regularly. By all accounts Rani Kumari should be
able to read poetry. Yet, ask her to read a few sentences and she is
unable to do so. What then have all these years of schooling done for
her?
In order to assess learning levels and access to quality education of
primary school-aged children (children between the ages 6 -14) in rural
India, a district-wise national survey was conducted recently. This
survey, named Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) and released in
January 2006, was conducted in 509 of India's 575 districts. Of the
districts surveyed, the data from 487 districts is usable. Conducted
across 9,521 selected villages, ASER tested the children of about
203,000 households and surveyed approximately 9,500 schools. The
villages and children were randomly selected; the selection method used
was developed in consultation with the National Sample Survey of India.
A citizens' initiative, this survey was coordinated by the national NGO
Pratham, but was conducted on a voluntary basis by more than 770
NGOs, citizen and student groups, and universities. ASER is the most
extensive survey of its kind.
The data generated by the ASER survey paints a telling picture.
Enrolment levels are high across the country, yet learning levels are
surprisingly poor. Although the gender gap in enrolment has decreased,
fewer girls than boys are enrolled in schools. Moreover, a larger number
of boys than girls are enrolled at private schools. Learning levels at
private schools are significantly higher than those at government
schools. The data shows that while the government has moved towards its
goal of increasing enrolment, it needs to now focus on learning and
assessment.
Across rural India, 93.4 per cent of primary school-aged children are
enrolled in school. Of these, 75.1 per cent are enrolled in government
schools and 16.4 per cent in private schools. While 22.2 per cent more
boys than girls are enrolled in government schools, 50 per cent more
boys than girls attend private schools.
These numbers are significantly better than those given in the
well-known Public Report on Basic Education (PROBE) Report 1999.
According to the PROBE Report, only 70 per cent of children were
enrolled in school. Perhaps, this difference can be accounted for by the
fact that government programs to increase enrolment, such as the
midday-meal scheme, have had their intended effect. It may also be
because the number of private schools across the country has risen, and
an increased number of children now attend private schools.
Ostensibly, it seems like we should be excited that only 6.6 per cent
children are out of school. Yet, this percentage represents 11 million
children. If each child is recognized as an individual person deserving
of education, an inexcusable number of children are not in school. Of
these 11 million children, 52 per cent in the 6-10, and 55 per cent in
the 10-14, age groups are girls. Moreover, there is a wide variation
between states with respect to enrolment levels. Goa, Kerala, Karnataka
and Uttaranchal have hardly any children out of school. Meanwhile,
Bihar, Rajasthan, Orissa, Andhra Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh account for
71.2 per cent of out-of-school children. The government's drive to
increase enrolment is perhaps not as successful as seems at first
glance.
Besides, enrolment is only one of the indicators of education; actual
learning levels being the other.
Of all enrolled children, 51.9 per cent cannot read an easy short story,
and 65.5 per cent cannot perform a simple division problem. (Cannot
read: 30 per cent of children in private schools, 40 per cent of
children in government schools; cannot solve written numerical problems:
45 per cent of children enrolled in private schools, 67 per cent of
those in government schools.) Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, and
surprisingly Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, feature as the states with the
worst levels of both reading and math. Gujarat and Orissa do badly with
respect to reading and math respectively. Bihar, Haryana and
Chhattisgarh - all states that are commonly assumed to have low
development indicators - have unexpectedly high levels in both.
A closer glance at state-wise data makes it clear that there is no one
factor that guarantees learning. In Bihar, for example, enrolment is low
at 86 per cent, yet learning levels of Standard 5 children are high,
with close to 90 per cent being able to read and close to 85 per cent
being able to do math. Tamil Nadu and Karnataka show high enrolment at
97 per cent and 98 per cent respectively, but both have abysmal learning
levels. Of Standard 5 children in these states, only about 75 per cent
and 65 per cent can read and do math.
Enrolment clearly does not correspond to learning, and thus to
education. Here is another example: although the pupil-teacher ratio in
West Bengal, at 48:1, is much higher than elsewhere in the country (the
national average is 38:1), learning levels are high at 92 per cent for
reading and 90 per cent for math. It is clear then that learning does
not directly follow from any one cause.
Why, though, are learning levels across the country so low? This
question will elicit different responses in different places, and the
ASER survey does not engage with it. However, one possible reason might
be that the government's emphasis on child enrolment and retention has
meant that that not much attention is given to learning assessment. For
example, Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, the recent government initiative
to promote elementary education, only assesses the enrolment of children
and the infrastructure of schools. Another possible reason for low
learning levels could be that, in some states, teachers are penalized if
children in their classes are seen to be not learning well. Teachers
here will often promote children to the next standard irrespective of
their actual learning levels.
Education, then, cannot be measured simply by enrolment. In promoting
universal education, the focus of the government must include learning
assessment. Of course, this does not mean that the government should
stop work on increasing enrolment - those 11 million children out of
school cannot be ignored - yet, it is not enough only to guarantee that
all children go to school. If we are to prevent more stories like that
of Rani Kumari, the government must ensure that all children in school
are actually learning, and learning well.
March 5,
2006
By arrangement with
Women's Feature Service
Top
| Society
The Week of March 5, 2006
Tackling Al-Qaeda: Key lies in
Pushtunistan by Rajinder Puri
The Great American Circus Rolls On ... by
Usha Kakkar
United States President's Historic Visit
to India by Dr. Subhash Kapila
The Great American Circus Rolls On ...
by Usha Kakkar
US History - Lesser Known
Facts, Analogies & Surmises Part 4 by Gaurang Bhatt, MD
What UN Reform could be suitable for the
New World Order? by TA Ramesh
Morarji Desai: A Statesman Par Excellence
by Syed Muzammiluddin
A dialogue with the Canadian Poet
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How Important Really
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Snow or Gold A Story by
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Love's Grandeur A Story by Amita Sinha
Kids Fighting by Michael Grose
Kiwi Trivia by Neha Girotra
Interior Design Trends in India by
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Hamburger in America by Manjula Waldron
The Power of Mantra and Prayer by Arya
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Memoirs About My Father by Ashok
Rastogi
Daring to Divorce Shuriah Niazi
Women on Track by Ambujam Anantharaman
Reading Between the Numbers by Kaushiki
Rao
Pop Culture and Pizza by Neeta Lal
Drama to Cope with Trauma by Mehru
Jaffer
One Woman Against the Tide : A feature
on Indrani Sinha
Tough Woman in Tough Land: A feature on
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Impact of Mars as per Bhrigu Nadi System by
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Kaikeyi: Ram Ke Mangeela Banvas by
Satya Chaitanya
The Cartographic Deficit in Indic
Publishing! by Shreerăm Vidyărthî
Is George Bush Anti Islam? by Usha
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United Colors of Indo-US Bonhomie by
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Tale of Two Countries by Usha Kakkar
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