Governments should focus on primary education.

Recently, the Uttar Pradesh government decided to merge 27,764 basic schools with less than 50 students in an effort to streamline educational resources.

The aim is to merge schools with low enrolment with nearby schools with higher student enrolment. The state government has said that this can help improve the infrastructure and the system of primary education, which can get better resources, allocation, and better academic support. This trend of low enrolment in government schools is troubling many other states as well, and also needs to draw the attention of officials and experts to reconsider the quality of primary education being provided in government schools. Needless to say, the quality of education and environment has a huge impact on the lives of children during their formative years. Unfortunately, the entire country has not focused on this issue and very few states have developed models that should be replicated across the country.

In the north, except in Delhi and Punjab, the condition of government primary schools has been neglectful. Apart from poor infrastructure, the quality of education imparted by semi-skilled teachers is also very low. No wonder, despite the availability of much cheaper options in government schools, an increasing number of parents, especially in urban areas, are preferring to enroll their children in private schools. A recent survey by the National Sample Survey Office (NSSO), “Community Analysis of Monitoring Schools (CAMS)” has revealed that not only differences in enrolment but also socio-economic factors and geographical differences are driving these variations.

According to its findings, 43.8% of primary school children in urban areas are enrolled in private schools, while 36.5% go to government schools. The same survey also revealed that at the national level, 66.7% children are enrolled in government schools, while the enrollment figure in private institutions is 23.4%. However, the survey has clearly highlighted the urban-rural divide, with urban areas preferring private education and rural areas relying mainly on government schools due to lack of options. In Haryana, 45.6% of primary school children attend private schools, while in government schools it is 40.2%. Obviously the quality of education or the lack of it is pushing parents to enroll their children in private schools despite the high fees.

Incidentally, Manipur has recorded the highest rate of private enrolment where 74% of students attend private institutions, while it is only 21% in government schools. In states like West Bengal, Tripura, Odisha, private schooling remains a minor preference. For instance, in West Bengal, only 5% of students attend private schools, while in Tripura and Odisha, the figure is 6.2 and 6.3 respectively. The strong inclination towards government education in these states needs to be studied by experts and this pattern should be replicated in other states as well. It should be noted that the Covid 19 pandemic had a profound impact on education, especially primary education. A survey conducted by the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) revealed that there has been a clear shift of students from private schools to government schools due to loss of jobs and a sharp drop in family income.

It saw an increase from 65.8% in 2020 to 70.3% in 2021. Enrolment in private schools declined from 28.8% in 2020 to 24.4% in 2021, a trend that is now reversing but the adverse impact of the pandemic on primary education remains long-lasting. The same survey found that students, especially those from rural areas, have lagged behind in various parameters. The pandemic has further widened the gap between urban and rural students in the country. Unfortunately, little has been done to compensate for the losses incurred during the pandemic. The latest data point to the need to address the quality gap in government schools. There is an urgent need to improve infrastructure, teacher quality, and access in government schools. The central government has done a good job by increasing the budget for primary education by about 20% this year. This should be used for intensive teacher training programs and improving infrastructure.

Gajendra Kumar Parkash Chand morya ✍️