Education,
that is equitable, easily accessible and provides equal opportunities -
is the sine qua non for development: Vice President
Inaugurates Conference on Factors of Poor learning: Challenges, Opportunities and Practices for Learning Improvement in Socially Diverse Elementary Schools of India
Inaugurates Conference on Factors of Poor learning: Challenges, Opportunities and Practices for Learning Improvement in Socially Diverse Elementary Schools of India
The Vice President of India, Shri M. Hamid Ansari
has said that the education, that is equitable, easily accessible and provides
equal opportunities – is the sine qua non for development and it would
determine the future shape of our society and polity. He was addressing the
gathering, here today, after inaugurating a Conference on ‘Factors of Poor
learning: Challenges, Opportunities and Practices for Learning Improvement in
Socially Diverse Elementary Schools of India’ organized by Deshkal Society,
Delhi.
The Vice President said that the power of education
extends beyond the development of skills we need for economic success, it is an
essential condition for political development, democracy and social justice. With
the coming into force of the Right to Education Act, we have made substantial
gains in spread of elementary education, but a critical appraisal of the
elementary education scenario reveals that large gaps in implementation, he
added.
The Vice President said that there is great
disparity between urban and rural education, and children from different social
and geographic backgrounds have radically different schooling experiences. Referring
to the Government’s reply to a question in the Parliament, the Vice President
said that some 6.064 million children remained out of school, of which, a
massive 4.6 million or 76% belonged to the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes
and other religious minorities.
The Vice President said that several independent
civil society organizations have flagged that the present education system,
especially in rural areas, is not creating a heterogeneous environment for
inclusive education to cater to the educational needs of socially backward
communities. He further said that serious issues, such as, low literacy rates,
poor enrolment rates, high dropouts, high infant mortality of children from
socially and economically weaker segments of the society remain un-addressed. An
effort is being made to address some of these lacunae, and issues of gender,
social, cultural and regional disparities, with an emphasis on diversity, will
be properly addressed in the curriculum that will also cover issues of social
justice and harmony and legal measures in order to avoid social discrimination,
he added.
Following is the text of Vice
President’s address:
“The subject of today’s discussion,
focusing on factors of poor learning, has serious ramifications for the making
of an egalitarian society. I am therefore happy to join you today to understand
its dimensions and implications.
The Preamble of our Constitution and its
sections on Fundamental Rights and Directive Principles represent a national
consensus on the society we wish to create. These stipulate a polity based on
the principles of secularism, Socialism and democracy, seeking social, economic
and political justice, providing for liberty of thought, expression, believe,
faith and worship, equality of status and opportunity, and based on fraternity
assuring the dignity of individuals and unity of nation.
How is this to be achieved?
The American philosopher educationist
John Dewey observed, “Education is the fundamental method of social progress
and reform. This it does in two ways; by guiding children towards new values
and by assisting the development of intelligence in individual children and
increasing society's potential for its own transformation.” Much the same
was said by Nelson Mandela when he observed that ‘Education is the most
powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.’
The power of education extends beyond
the development of skills we need for economic success. It is more than rote
knowledge, must create the capacity to think, and is an essential condition for
political development, democracy and social justice.
This is well understood in our country.
As far back as 1966, the Education Commission had observed that ‘realization
of our country’s aspiration involves change in the knowledge, skills, interests
and values of the people as a whole’. It had pointed out that ‘if this
change on a grander scale is to be achieved without violent revolution, there
is one instrument, and one instrument only that can be used- education.’
Other agencies may help, and can indeed sometimes have a more apparent impact.
But the national system of education is the only instrument that can reach all
the people.
It
was with this lofty objective that the Constitution was amended to insert a new
Article, 21 A, which made elementary education a Fundamental Right. We also
adopted a policy of positive discrimination or affirmative action by reserving
seats in educational institutions for socially and economically weaker
segments.
The
cornerstone of Right to Education (RTE) is provision of free and compulsory
elementary education, though the aim is also to provide increasing access to
learning opportunities at secondary, technical and higher levels.
In
the last decade, especially with the coming into force of the Right to
Education Act, we have made substantial gains in spread of elementary
education. Let me list some of these:
·
Some
3.5 lakh schools have been opened since 2006 and 99% of India’s rural
population now have a primary school within a one kilometre radius.
·
A
survey in 2014 reported that 84.4% elementary schools now served the mid-day
meals, 48.2% had proper and functioning toilets for girls and 73% schools had
available drinking water.
·
The
enrolment of girls has increased slightly from 48.12% in 2009-10 to 48.19% in
2014-15 at the elementary level. For boys, the enrollment at primary level is
now 52%.
·
A
55% decline in dropouts was also reported in the age group 6–14 years, between
2005 and 2014.
Despite
these significant gains, a critical appraisal of the elementary education
scenario reveals that large gaps in implementation. India still has the largest
number of out-of-school children in the world, which is more than the out of
school children in whole of sub-Saharan Africa.
There
is great disparity between urban and rural education, and children from
different social and geographic backgrounds have radically different schooling
experiences. Allow me to cite some aspects:
1.
Answering
a question in the Rajya Sabha, on 10th March 2016, the Minister for HRD said
that in 2014, some 6.064 million children remained out of school. Of these, a
massive 4.6 million or 76% belonged to the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes
and other religious minorities.
2.
The
recent Report of the Committee for the Evolution of the New Educational Policy,
set up by the HRD Ministry, states that while the gross Enrolment Ratio in
elementary education is satisfactorily high, “the quality in terms of learning
outcomes is undeniably poor.” It cites as evidence the ASER 2014 Report. One
cause, it states, is “teacher absenteeism estimated at over 25% every day.”
3.
Another
HRD Ministry document observes that “though India has made significant progress
in terms of enhancing access to and participation in all levels of education,
the overall picture of education development in the country is mixed and there
are many persisting concerns and challenges relating to access to and
participation in education, quality of the education imparted, equity in
education, system efficiency, governance and management, research and
development, and financial commitment to education development”.
4.
Despite
all the governmental and societal effort, the overall literacy rate in 2011 was
73%, with a noticeable gap between male literacy at 80.9% and female literacy
at 64.8%.
5.
If
the SC, ST and religious minority children comprise 76% of those out of school,
the levels of literacy among them cannot but be reflective of this state of
affairs. In regard to the largest religious minority children, the 2006 Sachar
Committee Report had observed that only 17% of them above the age of 17 were
found to have completed matriculation as compared to the general average of
26%.
6.
Another
report, in 2013, found that the level of matriculation education among Muslims
both in rural and urban areas is lower than even SCs and STs. This is also
evident in higher education.
7.
The
Global Monitoring Report 2012 ranked India a low 102 out of the 120 countries
on the Education for All (EFA) Development Index, based on progress in
universal primary education, adult literacy, gender parity and the quality of
education.
8.
Some
surveys reveal that while enrolment in elementary education has increased,
there has been a decline in the education outcomes, with abilities in reading,
writing and other comprehensive skills deteriorating among children between the
ages of 6 and 14. For instance, according to the ASER 2014 Report, only a
fourth of all children in standard III could read a standard II text fluently,
a drop of more than 5% over five years.
Several
independent civil society organizations have flagged that the present education
system, especially in rural areas, is not creating a heterogeneous environment
for inclusive education to cater to the educational needs of socially backward
communities. Education level of Scheduled Tribes children, for example,
remains a matter of grave concern. Serious issues, such as, low literacy rates,
poor enrolment rates, high dropouts, high infant mortality of children from
socially and economically weaker segments of the society remain un-addressed.
An
effort is being made to address some of these lacunae, as indicated in a 2014
Assessment Report and in the recently released document providing the direction
and inputs for a new National Education policy with the promise that address
issues of gender, social, cultural and regional disparities, with an emphasis
on diversity, will be properly addressed in the curriculum that will also cover
issues of social justice and harmony and legal measures in order to avoid
social discrimination. Discussion on the document is in the public domain; the
final shape of policy is awaited.
Education
is a liberating and democratizing force. It is an enabler, which cuts across
the barriers of caste and class, smoothing out inequalities imposed by birth
and other circumstances. It ensures mobility and can redefine the social
structure.
Education,
that is equitable, easily accessible and provides equal opportunities – is the sine
qua non for development. It would determine the future shape of our society
and polity.
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