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Bhanu P Lohumi
Tribune News Service
Shimla, February 18
The state is facing twin challenges of improving the quality of education and arresting the flight of students from government to private schools. There are 15,430 government schools in Himachal.
The total enrolment of students in all schools in the state was 10,86,619 in 2003-04 and the share of government was 9,71,323 as per a Unified District Information System for Education report.
However, the declining trend was noticed in 2013-14 when the total enrolment rose to 14,70,480 but the enrolment came down to 10,07,196 and the declining trend continued. In 2016-17, the number of students in government schools further reduced to 8,90,137 against the total enrolment of 14,70,749.
Upset with the disturbing trend, the government, for the first time got a survey conducted by the State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT) to identify causes and suggest remedies.
The survey was conducted by dividing the schools in four categories as per area and situation. Tribal areas were clubbed in the first category, educationally backward districts of Chamba and Sirmaur with literacy rate below national average, were placed in the second category, Solan, Kullu, Shimla and Mandi with similar geographical and social environment were in the third category while the fourth category comprised of Kangra, Hamirpur, Una and Bilaspur districts falling in the lower hills.
The findings of the survey were not conclusive and parents of children differed on reasons for the decline in enrolment in government schools. However, a trend was noticed that a large number of parents preferred private schools as status symbol while many others attributed it to absence of pre-nursery and nursery classes in government schools and English as medium of instructions.
The report suggested starting of nursery classes and English as alternative medium of instruction, besides clubbing the “balwaris” (creche) with schools.
The shortage of teachers was another cause for aversion to government schools and the report suggested that there should be at least one fully trained teacher for every class in primary school and integrating the primary schools with elementary schools for better use of available manpower.
The report also took into consideration multifarious activities assigned to teachers in addition to teaching work, which reduced the teaching time and also pointed out that the range of co-curricular activities, playgrounds, labs and other infrastructure was comparatively less in government as compared to private schools, making a difference.
The indifferent attitude of government school teachers was another reason for disillusionment of parents with state-run schools, while “no retention” policy has caused further deterioration in the standard of education. It suggested review of no-retention policy to check the trend and make teachers accountable.
The report further suggested that arrangement of transporting the students from home to school and back, clean and hygienic conditions, improving teacher-pupil ratio, full security and safety of children, appointment of more non-teaching staff to free the teachers from non-teaching jobs and better participation of parents in parent-teacher meet to make government schools competitive.
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