How can we improve education quality in schools?
How can we improve education quality in schools?
India has a positive demographic opportunity, with half of its population in the working-age group. Needless to say, education is a tool required to release this demographic potential along with childhood nutrition, health care and good mentoring, quality schooling forms the basis of ensuring all round development of a person.
Quality education depends on infrastructure such as classrooms, water and sanitation facilities, availability of electricity, provision for digital learning, sports equipment and facilities, availability of chairs and desks and softer elements such as presence of school staff, professional competencies of teachers, access to books and learning materials among others.
POOR INFRASRUCTURE
Despite high demand for schools, as is visible by the upward trends in enrolment data, supply-side factors related to teacher availability and infrastructure leave much room for improvement. For instance, the District Information System for Education (DISE) data shows only 53% of total government schools, which form majority of schools in rural India, have electricity connection. Only 28% schools (18% government schools) have a computer and 9% (4% government schools) an internet connection. With the digital revolution beginning to be seen in urban schools, including urban government schools, it is likely that rural schools will miss riding the digital wave due to insufficient infrastructure. Most government schools do not even have adequate number of desks, chairs, and toilets for half of the total number of students, said an RTI reply. Many schools have one or two rooms for the staff while others do not even have a single staff room.
AVAILABILITY OF TEACHERS
The number of teachers admitted to schools has risen, and the percentage of vacant posts has been decreasing. But the competencies of the teaching staff are below par-according to DISE data, 18% teachers in India, in 2016-17, had no professional qualification in teaching. Even when teachers are on-roll, high rates of absenteeism have been recorded. A World Bank study found that one in four teachers are absent at a typical government-run primary school.
The role of government school teachers in India is being questioned because of the deteriorating learning levels of children. An analysis of six Indian states offers the opportunity to address this debate from the lens of public provisioning for teachers in the school education system. The performance of teachers needs to be judged based on factors like their training, working conditions, and, above all, resource allocation by the government.
STUDENT-TEACHER RATIO
The teacher-student ratio is very high in government schools due to over admission and teachers end up playing multiple roles, focusing less on providing quality education. The classes are over-packed. As per a survey conducted by The Times of India (TOI) maximum number of primary schools have the teacher-student ratio of 50:1. Teacher plays multiple roles.
QUALITY AND PERFORMANCE
Compared to private schools the quality of education in government schools is not up to the mark. Most students in a particular grade are far behind as compared to students of the same grade in a private institute. Although not all private schools are best, but parents feel gratified with the fact that their children are at least learning something. This is completely lacking in most government schools as their results also keep dropping.
INSECURITIES FOR FUTURE
The lack of sound foundation in primary and secondary education deems the students unfit for joining institutions of higher learning. The children in the age group of 6-14 learn do not acquire proficiency in languages or communication skills because of poor teaching skills of the teachers. Take for instance the students at vernacular medium schools; their ability to communicate in English is quite low as the teachers who teach English language lacks effort to impart them with the skills of listening, reading, witting and speaking. In most cases, the teachers who teach English in non-English medium schools are not even qualified to teach the language. That is why these children never learn to write and speak in English and consequently face serious communication problems when they go for higher studies.
NO SUPERVISION IN GOVERNMENT SCHOOLS
Lastly, no amount of technology can replace the classroom teaching. I-Pads and the social networking sites may help in accessing and updating information. However, true learning and assimilation of knowledge is possible only through effective teaching and healthy teacher-student interaction. But who will ensure that? We require a mechanism to ensure transparency and accountability at all levels, through effective supervision and control. We need persons in supervisory and administrative positions who won't mortgage their integrity for extraneous considerations!
HOW TO INCREASE GOVERNMENT SCHOOLS ADMISSIONS?
Nowadays, people prefer private schools because of their high reputation. So, the foremost thing is to gain reputation. Also improving teaching methods and books might work. People have started thinking that expensive has good quality and the cheap fails. We either need to prove this mentality wrong or make government schools expensive. The location of the school may also affect the enrolment to children. Add some facilities and improve the looks of the building and hygiene. These can be a few ways to attract people towards government schools.
Credits and References:
Shreya Shinde , SY Metallurgy (Team Awareness Thursday)
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