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Status report lays bare poor qualitative aspects in schools

By SIVASISH THAKUR

GUWAHATI, Feb 19 - The latest Annual Status of Education Report (ASER)-2016, which was released in New Delhi recently, lays bare the poor qualitative aspects in schools � especially government-run schools � in rural areas.

Countrywide, the survey was carried out in 17,473 villages, covering 350,232 households and 562,305 children in the age group 3-16. In Assam, the survey reached 771 villages, covering 15,364 households and 22,758 children in the age group 3-16.

Some of the key findings vis-�-vis Assam show that a large number of students studying in class III to class VIII lack even the basic skills in reading a text or in solving simple arithmetic like subtraction and division.

According to the report, a meagre 17.2 per cent children in class III can read class II-level text, while the percentage of children in class III who can do subtraction is 26.5. Again, in class V, the percentage of children who can read class II-level text is 38. Similarly, the percentage of children in class V who can do division is just 13.6.

Worse is the case with government schools, as compared to 32.2 per cent children in class III in private schools who can read class II-level text, only 12.8 per cent of children in class III in government schools can read class II-level text. Similarly, compared to 61.1 per cent children in class V in private schools who can read class II-level text, only 32.3 per cent of their government school counterparts can do the same.

In class VIII, the percentage of children who can read class III-level text is 63.6, while the percentage of children who can do division is 28.6. Children in classes III to V who can read at least class I-level text is 49.5, the report says. Children in classes VI to VIII who can at least read class II-level text is 54.7, and the percentage children in the same category who can do division is 22.7.

As for government schools, only 9.1 per cent of children in class V can do division against 32.9 per cent in the same class in private schools. Similarly, only 25.3 per cent in class VIII can do division against a percentage of 44.3 in the same category in private schools.

�Our assessment shows that school education in rural areas is in urgent need of interventions. While the enrolment level has gone up in recent years, the qualitative aspects remain a big worry as corroborated by the pathetic learning skills of a large percentage of children,� Abhijit Chakra-borty, State coordinator of the Delhi-based Pratham Education Foundation told The Assam Tribune.

Reading and comprehension in English remains another problem area in all rural schools. Among children in class III, 21.6 per cent can read capital letters, 21.8 can read capital letters but not small letters, 25.2 per cent can read small letters but not words, and 22 per cent can read words but not sentences. In class VIII, 2.7 per cent cannot read capital letters while 52.2 per cent cannot read easy sentences. Again, of those who can read words, only 56.2 per cent can tell the meaning.

�The situation in the ability of school children to comprehend English is another concern. Even in class VIII, more than half the students surveyed cannot read easy English sentences,� Chakraborty said.

ASER is the largest annual household survey in rural India that focuses on the status of children�s schooling and basic learning. Facilitated by Pratham, the survey is carried out by volunteers from local partner organisations in almost all rural districts of India. ASER 2016 reached 589 rural districts.

�Every year, ASER finds out whether children in rural India go to school, whether they can read simple text and whether they can do basic arithmetic. Since the implementation of the RTE Act in 2010, school visits in ASER have included indicators of compliance with those norms and standards specified in the Right to Education Act that are easy to measure. In 2016, ASER visited 15,630 government schools across rural India,� he added.

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