There is a country where about 50 % of students from std. 5 cannot read the standard text of std. 2. Even more murkier stats indicates that in the same country, around 78% of the students in std 3 cannot read standard text of std. 2. In this country, only 26 % & 52 % of std 3 & std 5 students respectively, can at least do simple two digit subtraction. This proportion for simple division like 678 / 6 is 26% for std 5 students. And on the top of it, this statistics are not showing improvement in last three years , instead they are worsening. WILL YOU RAISE YOUR KID IN SUCH A COUNTRY ? Do you know which is this country”? It is none other than INDIA.
Primary education and health indicators of any country is very unmistakable indicator of the direction that country will take. It also reflects the current state of affairs and priorities of the country. I don’t know whether Khalil Gibran said or not “pity the nation which has teenagers who cannot read”. (if he has not said, I still heard it.)How a country full of promises like India have such horrific indicators ? This data I am quoting is from a credible ASER survey done every year by an NGO called Pratham. (http://img.asercentre.org/docs/Publications/ASER%20Reports/ASER_2013/4-pagers/nationalfindings-aser2013.pdf)
Children are hope of the future. If they cannot have reading and arithmetic skills in std. 5 it is easy to conclude that there is very little chance for learning advanced skills and technology. They cannot meaningfully study further courses in std 6-12 which forms foundation for the higher education and general human understanding. Forget meaningful, they will have to struggle for survival in this global world. They will only have a surface understanding of basic subjects without any deeper understanding, required to have independent and thinking mind. They can never have a broader perspective of life. They cannot participate in the wonderful journey of human kind. They are just not eligible. And collectively, this will put a country like India at a great danger. This under-education will have long term and significant impact on frustrations / violence / moral hazards in society, which arise because, people are easily influenced and misguided by narrow interests. Because in today’s world where even less – literates are also informed and have access to technology, lack moral aptitude to make use of technology wisely and narrow understanding will be dangerous. (e.g you need not be graduate to use android 4.2 Even KG students operate mobiles.) Education is an art which will determine how beautiful and how strong will be the social fabric of country.
Demographic dividend is one of the much hyped word in favour of Indian economy. Every other expert who studied Indian demographics and economy, had emphatically stressed upon demographic advantage that India has over world. Imagine what dividend can we reap from the population which cannot read / calculate properly. Such under-educated youth cannot contribute anywhere else but in a labour intensive environment. Is it the direction in which we want to take India? A labour intensive economy which will be marked with human exploitation and will be rendered uncompetitive among globalized world with advanced manufacturing capacities?
If we closely look in the data, real culprit in the downward trend in above stats is government education. Private schools are not showing improvement but they are at least not worsening but government primary education is in real ‘MESS’. It seems that government on one hand is pushing hard to increase enrollments but it is completely missing the point by not providing basic quality education. It has become a huge money guzzler without any output. After the 6th pay commission, teachers are paid handsomely. But where is the commitment ? Where is the performance ? Who is monitoring ? Such lackadaisical attitude of government and primary teaching community towards primary education, has diverted parents towards private schools.
Government is busy issuing ridiculous circulars like not failing students till 7th standard. (yes. Govt. of Guj has done it). To show that more students are in schools they are promoted and hence primary teachers are relaxed. Because they know student is not going to be stuck in one standard. If a student is not achieving basic reading / arithmetic skills there is no point in promoting him to 3rd grade or higher grade. Same is the situation in secondary education. Lots and lots of students are passed each year in HSC / SSC to be promoted in higher education so that GER (gross enrollment ratio ) improves. Is it a way to improve an education indicator ?
All things are not bleak though. Many good organizations like “YUVA unstoppables”, Pratham, etc. are doing their bit. But we as a society, which is so worried about monetary corruption, seems to be totally blind towards this non-monetary but more hazardous moral corruption of collective system which is not doing enough to nurture the younger generation. It is a time we look towards more outcome based / performance based investments rather than blindly investing in salaries, computers and other physical infrastructures.
Can’t we implement a system wherein we can ensure that a child is not unnecessarily promoted to higher grade just because he has stayed in that class for one year. Lets ensure that they acquire all basic skills before they move on. This will encourage (or read compel) teachers to uplift a student to a particular level. When corporation & manufacturing units boasts of 6 sigma quality how can a teacher allow his student to fail and be rejected in the process. ? You cannot throw student in waste box simply saying it does not clear test. One has to rework on it. Whatever it takes. Let the salaries be linked to it and the performers be rewarded for their care.
The things are not so dire with private schools and some good govt funded institutes offering good quality education. But it is just not enough, looking at the population size of India and affordability at which the quality education comes. If the things are not taken care at primary education it will aggravate the situation in secondary education and by the time the students come to higher education, irreparable damage would be done. This dividend of today will divide India in to two parts. Haves and Have not.This will only create inequality, social frustrations and tensions, unwanted violence and corruption. Education is the only real hope for the long term progress of India. Invest and make efforts today in nurturing it or fight tomorrow to curb it. It is wisely said ‘the more you sweat in peace the less you bleed in war’
Primary education and health indicators of any country is very unmistakable indicator of the direction that country will take. It also reflects the current state of affairs and priorities of the country. I don’t know whether Khalil Gibran said or not “pity the nation which has teenagers who cannot read”. (if he has not said, I still heard it.)How a country full of promises like India have such horrific indicators ? This data I am quoting is from a credible ASER survey done every year by an NGO called Pratham. (http://img.asercentre.org/docs/Publications/ASER%20Reports/ASER_2013/4-pagers/nationalfindings-aser2013.pdf)
Children are hope of the future. If they cannot have reading and arithmetic skills in std. 5 it is easy to conclude that there is very little chance for learning advanced skills and technology. They cannot meaningfully study further courses in std 6-12 which forms foundation for the higher education and general human understanding. Forget meaningful, they will have to struggle for survival in this global world. They will only have a surface understanding of basic subjects without any deeper understanding, required to have independent and thinking mind. They can never have a broader perspective of life. They cannot participate in the wonderful journey of human kind. They are just not eligible. And collectively, this will put a country like India at a great danger. This under-education will have long term and significant impact on frustrations / violence / moral hazards in society, which arise because, people are easily influenced and misguided by narrow interests. Because in today’s world where even less – literates are also informed and have access to technology, lack moral aptitude to make use of technology wisely and narrow understanding will be dangerous. (e.g you need not be graduate to use android 4.2 Even KG students operate mobiles.) Education is an art which will determine how beautiful and how strong will be the social fabric of country.
Demographic dividend is one of the much hyped word in favour of Indian economy. Every other expert who studied Indian demographics and economy, had emphatically stressed upon demographic advantage that India has over world. Imagine what dividend can we reap from the population which cannot read / calculate properly. Such under-educated youth cannot contribute anywhere else but in a labour intensive environment. Is it the direction in which we want to take India? A labour intensive economy which will be marked with human exploitation and will be rendered uncompetitive among globalized world with advanced manufacturing capacities?
If we closely look in the data, real culprit in the downward trend in above stats is government education. Private schools are not showing improvement but they are at least not worsening but government primary education is in real ‘MESS’. It seems that government on one hand is pushing hard to increase enrollments but it is completely missing the point by not providing basic quality education. It has become a huge money guzzler without any output. After the 6th pay commission, teachers are paid handsomely. But where is the commitment ? Where is the performance ? Who is monitoring ? Such lackadaisical attitude of government and primary teaching community towards primary education, has diverted parents towards private schools.
Government is busy issuing ridiculous circulars like not failing students till 7th standard. (yes. Govt. of Guj has done it). To show that more students are in schools they are promoted and hence primary teachers are relaxed. Because they know student is not going to be stuck in one standard. If a student is not achieving basic reading / arithmetic skills there is no point in promoting him to 3rd grade or higher grade. Same is the situation in secondary education. Lots and lots of students are passed each year in HSC / SSC to be promoted in higher education so that GER (gross enrollment ratio ) improves. Is it a way to improve an education indicator ?
All things are not bleak though. Many good organizations like “YUVA unstoppables”, Pratham, etc. are doing their bit. But we as a society, which is so worried about monetary corruption, seems to be totally blind towards this non-monetary but more hazardous moral corruption of collective system which is not doing enough to nurture the younger generation. It is a time we look towards more outcome based / performance based investments rather than blindly investing in salaries, computers and other physical infrastructures.
Can’t we implement a system wherein we can ensure that a child is not unnecessarily promoted to higher grade just because he has stayed in that class for one year. Lets ensure that they acquire all basic skills before they move on. This will encourage (or read compel) teachers to uplift a student to a particular level. When corporation & manufacturing units boasts of 6 sigma quality how can a teacher allow his student to fail and be rejected in the process. ? You cannot throw student in waste box simply saying it does not clear test. One has to rework on it. Whatever it takes. Let the salaries be linked to it and the performers be rewarded for their care.
The things are not so dire with private schools and some good govt funded institutes offering good quality education. But it is just not enough, looking at the population size of India and affordability at which the quality education comes. If the things are not taken care at primary education it will aggravate the situation in secondary education and by the time the students come to higher education, irreparable damage would be done. This dividend of today will divide India in to two parts. Haves and Have not.This will only create inequality, social frustrations and tensions, unwanted violence and corruption. Education is the only real hope for the long term progress of India. Invest and make efforts today in nurturing it or fight tomorrow to curb it. It is wisely said ‘the more you sweat in peace the less you bleed in war’