Education is one of the basic needs of every human being. It is an enlightening experience, as it makes us a better version of ourselves. Unfortunately education in India, nowadays, has become more of a business than a source of knowledge. According to the ASER (Annual Status of Education Report), 55.8% of children reading in class five in government schools are not able to read the class two-level text. More than 70% of class eight students are unable to do the divisions correctly.
Article 21-A, (Eighty-sixth Amendment Act, 2002) of Indian constitution states that the State shall provide free and compulsory education to all children of the age of six to fourteen years in such manner as the State may, by law, determine. Thus making free and compulsory education for children between six to fourteen years of age as a fundamental right. In 2009, the consequential legislation of Article 21 was represented as The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, which states that every child has a right to full-time elementary education of satisfactory and equitable quality in a formal school which satisfies certain essential norms and standards.
However, the question arises that even after so many policies, why the children are not getting the real benefits? Why are the government schools deprived of sufficient funds for infrastructure and other requirements? Although, according to the RTE Act, many policies were formulated, in reality however, a meager three percent of GDP is devoted to education in India. Because of the limited funding, there is a crunch in the availability of academic resources, especially in government schools. Even the minimal requirements of a school like blackboards, books, stationery, desks are not sufficiently fulfilled.
During inspections, the school administration arranges the resources for a short while, and the rest of the year the situation remains pathetic and worrisome for students. Even infra-structurally speaking, there is often a dearth of hygienic toilets, electric fans, libraries, and even potable water. A survey from the National Institute of Educational Planning and Administration (NIEPA) states that still, five-per-cent schools run from kutcha premises.
Another major issue is the student-teacher ratio. Some schools have just one instructor for all subjects, teaching all classes. Moreover, the teachers are also over burned with other responsibilities like election duties etc, which makes them distracted, and thus they are unable to direct their complete focus on children’s performance.
Most of the government schools do not have any standard examination pattern in primary levels, and children are directly promoted to a higher class. As a result, teachers, guardians or even children themselves are unable to keep a check on their progress. This is one of the major issues that really requires attention and needs to be modified.
On the other hand, the performance of students studying in private schools is much better. Therefore, parents rush to private schools and try their best to get their child admitted there. This fact was intelligently depicted in the movie “Hindi Medium” where the protagonist and his wife struggle to get their daughter admitted to a top school in Delhi. However, they end up admitting their daughter in a government school, and also invested their time and resources in improving the condition of that school. If in real life too, the affluent families start doing the same, the condition of government schools might improve a lot. This will also help the needy and deprived children, who deserve a better education and a bright future.