Though India has made progress in social sector, but our success story is still stagnant compared to what other contries have done. The United Nations Human Development Index ranks us 128th among 177 countries. Certainly not a flattering report on our achievement in the field of education and health.
Historically no country has developed without the benefits of mass education. Our growth rate can not be sustained without an educated population. No doubt our literacy rates have gone up over the years however the poor, especially the girl child continue to be highly deprived. Though towns comparatively have better access to education, urban poor are less fortunate in terms of quality of education and the opportunities they receive are still very less which reflects the large number of dropouts at the primary level higher education.
Historically no country has developed without the benefits of mass education. Our growth rate can not be sustained without an educated population. No doubt our literacy rates have gone up over the years however the poor, especially the girl child continue to be highly deprived. Though towns comparatively have better access to education, urban poor are less fortunate in terms of quality of education and the opportunities they receive are still very less which reflects the large number of dropouts at the primary level higher education.
Inspite of large number of primary school, the number of secondary school as Planning Commission outlays have increased, the concern of our states have to translate into better health and education for the poor. However it is not mere outlays or pumping in money that will make the difference. We need to correct the major drawbacks of the existing system. First among them is the quality of our litteracy.
The drop out rates in our schools is appalling. In Delhi, only 50% clear their class 10 board exams. Experts point out that this is a direct outcome of our inefficient and joyless methods of teaching. The apathy and incompetence of large numbers of our teachers add to the problem. Recently media highlighted that 60% of the teachers in government schools ar not trained. In many of the rural areas many teachers do not turn up for work and are known to have taken up a second job.
Not investing in our youth can hamper our growth. Quality education is one of the potent ways to eradicate the inequity in our system. Let us create innovative partnership between government, civil society and corporates to improve the quality and reach of our education for the poor in villages an towns.
The drop out rates in our schools is appalling. In Delhi, only 50% clear their class 10 board exams. Experts point out that this is a direct outcome of our inefficient and joyless methods of teaching. The apathy and incompetence of large numbers of our teachers add to the problem. Recently media highlighted that 60% of the teachers in government schools ar not trained. In many of the rural areas many teachers do not turn up for work and are known to have taken up a second job.
Not investing in our youth can hamper our growth. Quality education is one of the potent ways to eradicate the inequity in our system. Let us create innovative partnership between government, civil society and corporates to improve the quality and reach of our education for the poor in villages an towns.
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1 comment:
agree with you on the issue. but i think it is not only the teachers who are at fault...i personally know a government school where the teachers were willing to teach, but what the students (the boys mainly) were so rough and goon-like...they rip off the lights, the fans, they break the desks. it's like a class has been ransacked!
we can probably get to teaching a few rural and urban poor kids ourselves. but that would only be elementary studies. perhaps a beginning though.
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