INSTITUTE FOR DEVELOPMENT AND COMMUNICATION (IDC) STATUS OF EDUCATION IN THE SLUMS OF PUNJAB

Transcription

1 INSTITUTE FOR DEVELOPMENT AND COMMUNICATION (IDC) STATUS OF EDUCATION IN THE SLUMS OF PUNJAB June 2013

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3 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The Unit of Educational Studies expresses its deep sense of gratitude to the Director of Institute for Development and Communication, Chandigarh for the grant of the project, providing necessary support and guidance to study The Status of Education in the Slums of Punjab. The Unit is extremely grateful to the five Municipal Corporations of Punjab and the concerned officials for rendering prompt cooperation to the research team in providing necessary information and documents concerning the slums under their jurisdiction that facilitated the selection of the field area for the study. The Unit acknowledges gratefully the whole-hearted support and cooperation extended by the Directorates of Elementary Education and the DEOs in providing relevant information and lists of Primary/Elementary/High Schools thus enabling the research team to sample schools and collect data from there. Thanks are due to all the Head Teachers and teachers of Primary/Elementary/High Schools in providing necessary school records to enable the team to collect relevant information required for the study. The team is equally grateful to the teachers for sparing their time, expressing their views freely and frankly on the schemes of the Government concerning universalisation of Elementary Education. Thanks are also due to the school children for taking the Achievement Tests given to them, and the interviews held with them. The cooperation of the slum dwellers in sparing time to interact with the teams is also acknowledged with gratitude. Without the cooperation of teachers, school children, and the people living in slums it was not possible to carry out this project. The Director of the Unit has special appreciation for the contribution of Prof. J.N. Joshi, Chairman, IDC in providing insight into the project. Under his guidance and encouragement throughout, the project was completed successfully. i

4 Mrs. Zehra Zaidi, Senior Research Fellow deserves special word of appreciation for her valuable contribution in preparation of tools; collection of data and relevant information from various sources, guiding and supervising the field staff in field work. Thanks are equally due to the field staff; Mr. Manjeet Singh and Mrs. Babita Sharma for their dedicated efforts put in at all stages of project work right from procuring of text books, through seeking preliminary information from teachers, translation, administration and scoring of achievement tests, conducting interviews with school children and persons living in slums, and finally through coding of data and helping in sorting of data required for various analyses. Mr. Sunil Arora, Systems Manager in the Institute, deserves special praise for computerizing and analyse the huge bulk of data of varied nature that enabled to present it meaningfully. For Mr. Narinder Kumar, a special word of appreciation and praise is placed on record for his unstinting whole hearted efforts in typing the report and for figure work. The Unit is grateful for his dedication to the task assigned to him. Asha Sethi Director Research Unit of Educational Studies ii

5 Acknowledgments List of Tables List of Figures EXECUTIVE SUMMARY CONTENTS CHAPTER- I: INTRODUCTION 1-20 Population and Literacy in Punjab Access to Education and RTE Norms Qualitative Aspect: Teacher Input and Pupil-Teacher Ratio What is a Slum Characteristics of a Slum Objectives of the Study Scenario of Urban Slums under Municipal Corporations in Punjab Scenario of Govt. Schools in Municipal Corporations Cities CHAPTER-II: METHODS AND PROCEDURE Field of Investigation Method Sample and Sampling Procedure Tools used in the Study Data used in the Study Analysis and Treatment of Data CHAPTER-III: ACCESS TO EDUCATION: DATA AND RESULTS 27- Access to Education Enrolments in Primary Classes Enrolment in Upper Primary Classes Highlights Progress in Education Status of Cohorts during Five Year Cycle of Primary Education ( ) Highlights of the Status of Cohorts Status of Cohorts during Three Year Cycle of Upper Primary Education ( to ) Progress in Education made by Slum Children at Primary and Upper Primary Stage Knowledge as outcome of Teaching and Learning Academic Achievement: Learning outcomes of Government Schools (Class V) Children i-viii iii

6 Academic Achievement of Class V Private School Children Highlights Academic Achievement of Class VIII Children Achievement Test Scores and Teachers Evaluation CHAPTER IV: OUTCOME OF INTERACTIONS WITH THE RESPONDENTS Outcome of Interaction with the Teachers Comparison between Urban Slum Settlers and Slum Migrants Teachers views on Schemes of the Government about Elementary Education Schemes with Merits and Demerits Outcome of Interaction with People living in Slums Personal Profile and Background Variables To sum APPENDICES Education of Children: Issues and Concerns To sum up Outcome of Interaction with Slum Children Profile of the Children: Background Variables Participation in School Activities Educational and Vocational Plans 1.1 Profile of the Sampled Primary Schools in Jallandhar 2.1 List of Sampled Slums Colonies 2.2 List of Sampled Schools of Class V 2.3 Educational Status of Slums of Punjab (For Teachers) 2.4 Educational Status of Slums of Punjab: For Parents of School going Children (Part-A) 2.5 Educational Status of Slums of Punjab: For Govt. School Children (Part-B) 2.6 Educational Status of Slums of Punjab: Question Paper for Class V Children 2.7 Educational Status of Slums of Punjab: Question Paper for Class VIII Children 3.1 Sessionwise Enrolments at Primary Classes 3.2 Districtby Sessionwise Enrolments at Upper Primary Classes 3.3A Academic Status of Cohorts during Five Year Cycle of Primary Education ( to ) 3.3B Academic Status of Cohorts during Five Year Cycle of Primary Education (2007 to 2012) 3.4A Academic status of cohorts during three year cycle of Upper Primary Stage 3.4B Academic Status of Cohorts during Three Year Cycle of Upper Primary Classes 3.5 Subject by Gender by Achievement Tests Scores of Class V (Govt. Schools) iv

7 3.6 Subject by Gender by Achievement Tests Scores of Class V Private School Children 3.7 Subject by Gender by Achievement Test Scores of Class VIII Govt. School Children 4.1A Districtwise Teachers assessment about Slum Children Class Vth 4.1B Districtwise Teacher s assessment about Slum Children Class VIII 4.2A Districtwise Teacher s views on Govt. Schemes Class V 4.2B Districtwise Teacher s views on Government Schemes Class VIII 4.3 Interview Data of Parents of School going Children: Districtwise Gender by Age by Caste by Religion 4.4A Interview Data of Class V School going Children: Districtwise Gender by Age by Caste by Religion 4.4B Interview Data of Class VIII Govt. School going Children v

8 LIST OF TABLES Table Number Title 1.1 Ranking of Districts by Population Size: Literacy Rtes by Sex for State and District: Districtwise Number of Students in Schools of Punjab (As on 30 th September 2011) 1.4 Districtwise Number of Students in Schools of Punjab (As on 30 th September 2011) 1.5 Department wise Number of Teachers and Pupil Teacher Ratio in Schools of Punjab by Departmentwise (As on 30 th September 2011) 1.6 Characteristics of Urban Slums under Municipal Corporations 1.7 Physical Infrastructure in Schools 2.1 Break up of the Sample 3.1 Sessionwise Enrolment at Primary Classes 3.2 Sessionwise Enrolments at Upper Primary Stage 3.3 Status of Cohorts during Five Year Cycle of Primary Education ( to ) 3.4 Status of Cohorts during Three Year Cycle of Upper Primary Education ( to ) 3.5 Break-up of Sample for Achievement Tests 3.6 Subjectwise Means, Percentages and Grades obtained by Class V Govt. School Children 3.7 Subjectwise Means, Percentages and Grades of Class V Private School Children 3.8 Comparative Performance of Class V Govt. and Private Schools in Achievement Tests 3.9 Subjectwise Means, Percentages and Grades in Test Scores of Class VIII Children 3.10 Subjectwise Percentages of Test Scores, Equivalent Grade and Teachers Ratings 4.1 Profile of the Teachers 4.2 Comparison of Discipline 4.3 Teaching Learning Class-room Behaviour 4.4 Study Skills 4.5 Abilities and Motivation 4.6 Personality Traits 4.7 Personal Hygiene 4.8 Participation in Games/Sports, Cultural Activities Page Number vi

9 4.9 Interpersonal Relations 4.10 Schemes of the Government: Teachers Views 4.11 Profile of the Persons living in Slums 4.12 Nativity 4.13 Period of Stay in Years 4.14 One Time Home Visit 4.15 Accommodation and Rental 4.16 Benefits of Migration 4.17 Purpose of Educating Children 4.18 Purpose of Educating Sons and Daughters 4.19 Extent/Level of Providing Education 4.20 Expenditure Per Month on Children s Education 4.21 Child Labour: Occupations 4.22 Background Variables of School Children 4.23 Occupation of Father/Guardian 4.24 Benefits of Education 4.25 Liking for the School: Some Reasons 4.26 Payment of Fees Per Month 4.27 Participation in School Activities 4.28 Leisure Time Activities/Hobbies 4.29 Inter-personal Relations 4.30 Desire to Study in Private English Medium Schools 4.31 Previous Class Achievement 4.32 Educational Plans: Levels of Attaining Education 4.33 Vocational Aspirations vii

10 LIST OF FIGURES Figure Number Title Page Number 3.1 Sessionwise Enrolments at Primary Stage 3.2 Caste by Sessionwise Enrolments at Primary Classes 3.3 Sessionwise Enrolments at Upper Primary Stage 3.4 Caste by Sessionwise Enrolments at Upper Primary Stage 3.5 Academic Status of Cohorts during Five Year Cycle of Primary Education ( to ) 3.6 Status of Cohorts during Three Year Cycle of Upper Primary Education ( to ) viii

11 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY In view of the increasing number of slums and slum population, it was thought pertinent to assess the educational status of slums of Punjab. The study was conducted with the main objective to assess the quantitative parameters of the status of education in respect of: A. Access to education in terms of enrolments of slum children in primary and upper primary classes. B. Progress made by these children in completion of primary and upper primary education within stipulated period as cohorts pertaining to their success, retention and drop out of the system. C. Knowledge as outcome of teaching and learning. The qualitative aspects of the study were evaluated, with the focus on: Teachers assessment of slum children regarding the knowledge attained by them and understanding of the subject matter. Views of the teachers on various schemes of the Government for promoting elementary education. Assessment of literacy and educational status of slum dwellers, and the educational and vocational plans for their sons and daughters. Slum children s perception of importance of education, and their future educational and vocational plans. Field of the Study: Schools and Urban Slums The study was conducted in 69 Government Primary schools, 16 Government Middle/High Schools, 9 Private English Medium Schools; and 69 urban slums/colonies sampled from the Municipal Corporation cities of Punjab namely: Ludhiana, Jalandhar, Amritsar, Patiala and Bathinda. i

12 Sampling Procedure In accordance with varied nature of the study, the sampling was done combining purposive, incidental, and random methods. Data used in the Study The primary data were in the form of: Achievement tests scores of Class V and Class VIII school children. Data pertaining to interviews held with teachers, persons living in slums, and Class V and Class VIII school children. The secondary data were used for: Sampling of slums: by taking lists from Municipal Corporations; and for schools from Directorates of Elementary Education. Accessibility to education: data were collected from school records in the form of enrolments, success, repetition of grades, migration and drop-out cases. Assessment of quality of education: in respect of teacher input, enrolments, P-T ratio, literacy rates and population figures, data were collected from school records as well as from Statistical Abstracts of Punjab. Analysis and Treatment of Data For all type of quantitative and qualitative data, analysis required simple frequencies and percentages for: Access to education in respect of enrolment in schools. Assessment of quality education in terms of teacher input and infrastructure of the school. Assessment of learning outcomes of children. Qualitative data based on interviews. For calculation of success, retention, stagnation and wastage (drop-out) cohort method was used in the study. ii

13 Major findings Objective: To assess the accessibility of slum children to education, progress made by the children; and knowledge and skills acquired by them as outcome of teaching and learning. A: Access to education Accessibility to education was measured in terms of enrolments of slum children in Primary and Upper Primary Schools during five academic sessions from Session to The findings based on quantitative data Government Primary and Upper Primary Schools located near slums had almost 100 percent of population of slum children. Trends of total enrolments in Primary, and Upper Primary Schools from Academic Session to revealed that. Session to session increase/decline/fluctuations in enrolment was observed in Primary Classes in all the categories of children. The enrolments in Upper Primary Classes depicted continuous increase in all the five academic sessions. Overall percent increase in total enrolments was 2.8% in Primary Classes and 74.5% in Upper Primary Classes. In comparison, the increase in enrolment at Upper Primary classes was much higher than in the primary classes. In Caste categories, the percent increase in enrolments at primary level was: SC 0.58%; BCs 11.4% and in General category, it was 3.3%. At Upper Primary stage, the percent increase in enrolment was 102.2% in case of SCs; 76.2% in BCs and 41.7% in General category children. Gender: In all the Classes from I to V, and from VI to VIII, the boys out numbered the girls. The increase in enrolments in Primary and Middle Schools whether it is the impact of Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan and now RTE, it indicates accessibility to education. iii

14 The range of minimum and maximum enrolment in Primary Schools was 188 to 222; and in Upper Primary Schools, it was 109 to 189. The minimum and maximum strength in Classes I to V was 38 to 44 children. In Classes VI to VIII, it was 36 to 63. In each of the Primary and Upper Primary Classes, the RTE norms of 30, and 35 were not adhered to in Government Schools. B: Progress in Education Objective: To assess the parameters of progress made by cohorts in successful completion of 5 year cycle of Primary and 3 years of Upper Primary education within the stipulated period in respect of success, repetition, migration and drop-out. The five year cycle of primary cohorts was from Session to and in case of upper primary, it was 3 years from to Success rate of Cohorts of Primary and Upper Primary Cycles At primary stage, out of 2710 children enrolled in session , 37.08% passed out in At upper primary stage, the pass percentage was 68.07% out of 686 enrolled in session The total success rate of of Primary cohorts as compared to 68.07% of Upper Primary cohorts was far from satisfactory. Repetition of Grades: in primary stage, it was 15.2%, while at upper primary it reduced to 2.48%. Migration cases: From 36.2% at primary stage the number reduced to 17.93% at upper primary classes. The rate of drop-out of 11.5% among the cohorts remained the same at both the stages of education. From Primary to Upper Primary cycle of education, the improvement in progress of children was observed in respect of: success rate (31%); repetition of grades (11.72%) and migration (19.27%). iv

15 In comparison, the upper primary cohorts exhibited higher rate of success, lesser repetition of grades and migration. Gender: The progress made by girls as Primary and Upper Primary cohorts was better than the boys in respect of higher rate of success, lower stagnation, migration and rate of drop-outs. Higher success rate, and lower repetition of grades at Upper Primary education may be attributed to No fail scheme of the Government. The fact that the Govt. Schools located near slums/colonies have almost 100 percent population of slum children on rolls, speaks of accessibility of these children to education but the limited progress made by them in being successful in completing five year and three year cycle of Primary and Upper Primary education without repeating grades or dropping out of the system, castes shadow on the system itself. C. Knowledge: Outcomes of Teaching and Learning Objective: To test the knowledge attained by children as an outcome of teaching and learning. The parameters of knowledge are: learning; understanding; and mastery of the subject matter as an outcome of teaching and learning. The acquisition of skills of reading, writing and numeracy at Primary level facilitate the acquisition of knowledge at the next higher stages of education. Performance of Class V children on Achievement Tests The percentage of scores attained by 2062 Government Primary school children in the subjects of Punjabi (66.2%); Hindi (47%); Maths (43.2%); EVS (69.3%) with Total Test Score of 50.3% was quite satisfactory, except 24.5% in English. The score of 117 private school children ranged from 38% to 41.5% in four subjects, which was below the mark. Poor performance of Private English medium Primary School children in English (28.9%) is a poor reflection on teachers efficiency in teaching the subject. v

16 In the subject of Maths, a score of 43%, and 38% earned by Class V children indicate poor numeracy skills acquired by them, but in EVS, getting a score of 69.3% was quite good. The Performance of Class VIII 754 children, irrespective of gender, was very poor in all the six subjects taught at this stage. They got maximum score in Hindi (40.6%), and minimum of 9.5% in Social Studies. In other four subjects, the scores were: 27.2% in Punjabi, 23.3% in English and Maths; and 29.5% in Science. As far as outcome of knowledge is concerned, considering the background of slum children, the performance of Class V slum children was quite satisfactory, but Class VIII children did not exhibit learning and understanding of the subject matter in any of the six subjects. Reflecting on the poor performance of Class VIII children, one wonders is it because of poor delivery of teachers, or because of non serious, unmotivated children who come to school to pass time. The teachers put blame on the recent schemes of the govt. of No fail, No punishment, Automatic unconditional Promotions that account for all the poor results. Concordance between Achievement Tests Results and Teachers Evaluation Objective: To see the extent of teachers insight into the children s learning and understanding of the subject matter. The teachers evaluation of Class V children s performance in academic subjects taught by them was at variance with the test scores of children in all the subjects. In Punjabi, the score on the test was 66.2% and teachers rated them poor in subject. In English the score was 24.5% and the teachers rated them average. In Maths, the score was 43.2%; but according to teachers, the children were good in subjects. At Upper Primary stage, the teachers evaluation of Class VIII children being Average in all the subjects was quite contrary to their actual performance in all the six test scores that varied from 9.5% to 29.6%, all scores falling in E grade. There was no concordance between the teachers assessment and the actual performance of the children. vi

17 Findings based on qualitative data Outcomes of Interaction with Teachers Objective: Teachers assessment about migrant children in comparison to slum settlers. Qualification of Teachers (Primary=86, Upper Primary=18) As per norms, 5.7% primary and 38.9% upper primary school teachers were adequately trained and qualified, the rest were over qualified for elementary level of teaching. Comparison of slum migrant and settler children The parameters involved: Discipline; Teaching-Learning; Abilities and Motivation; Study Skills; Personality traits; Interpersonal relations; Participation in school activities; and Personal hygiene. On the parameter of discipline 62.5% Primary and 80.5% Upper Primary teachers rated slum migrant children to be less regular and punctual in comparison to slum settlers. It may be due to their parents frequent migration from place to place. Majority of the teachers, 58.5 to 97.6% at primary; and 75% to 100% at upper primary stage, rated the migrants equal to settlers on all other parameters, be it teaching learning (class-room situation); abilities; intelligence and motivation, study skills, personality traits, emotional behaviour and interpersonal relations. On personal hygiene slum migrants were rated to be dirty by 93.7% primary teachers, but at upper primary stage, they were clean as per 87.5% of teachers. Apparently as the children grow older they start managing their own selves. Schemes of the Government The migrant children lacked initiative to participate in school activities as reported by 54.9% primary and 75% upper primary teachers. Objective: To seek, teachers views on the Schemes of the Government to Promote Elementary Education Some of the schemes had merits as well as demerits as viewed by the teachers. vii

18 Free and compulsory elementary education On Merits: The poorest of poor can afford to educate their children, which has enhanced enrolments in elementary schools as per 76.5 to 92% responses. Demerits: Any thing received on gratis looses its value and importance as observed by 17.6% teachers. Mid-Day Meal Scheme Merits: It provides at least one square meal and nutrition to the poor (75.5%). Demerits: It wastes precious time of the teachers (81.4%). Free Books/Uniforms Merits: A great help for poor children as per all (100%) teachers. Demerits: Apart from helping some poor children, 57.8% teachers expressed the scheme promotes discrimination among children; and it is a cause of constant tussle between teachers and parents as per 77.4% responses. Schemes with only demerits Admission according to age equivalent grade was not approved by 93 to 100% teachers. Reasons 93% teachers considered it not a right scheme for first generation learners, particularly first time schoolers. To join school/class at a later stage they are unable to cope with classroom teaching and learning (60.8%). Consequently they become indifferent and start creating trouble in the class (79.4%). Compulsory Pass, No Fail: Most useless scheme according to 93% teachers. Reasons With unconditional promotions children have lost interest in studies, motivation and spirit of competition as per 78.4% responses. viii

19 A great set back to authority of teachers according to 78.4% of them. 87.2% teachers were apprehensive that with no fear of failure, children will not be able to learn, instead they will turn out to be criminals. No Punishment: Most harmful Reasons Children are getting out of control according to 82.3% teachers. They threaten teachers and misbehave in class as reported by 73.5% of them. Even parents of children create nuisance in school (68.8%). 68 to 93% teachers rated such schemes as admission according to age equivalent grade, no fail, no punishment as neither teacher nor children (user) friendly. The only beacon of hope is the scheme Padho Punjab/Pravesh which was appreciated by 81.4% teachers as it is beneficial for children weaker in studies. Outcome of Interaction with Slum Dwellers Objective: To assess the educational and occupational status of slum persons, and their purpose of educating their children. Status of literacy and education The data revealed that out of 1052 persons there were: 54.3% non literates. Upto Primary education (28.4%). Upto Middle level education (10.3%). Matriculates (6.1%). Senior Secondary (1%). Though majority of them were non-literates at least 45.7% of them added to the literacy of the towns. The occupational status of the respondents was in sync with their literacy and level of education as 78.4% were engaged in unskilled jobs (Labour); in Skilled jobs (7.9%); Semi skilled (4.6%); and 9.2% had miscellaneous jobs. ix

20 Motives and Benefits of Migration to Punjab 48.5% slum people migrated with the motive for better job prospects and higher wages. Benefits of Migration were expressed in terms of: Getting better jobs (35%). Better earning (16.2%). Saving money (41%). Providing better education to children (22.9%). By and large 97% people living in slums were benefited by more than one ways. Purpose of educating the children (in general) The Main purpose of educating the children was pragmatic in approach i.e. to prepare them for life as indicated in the following responses: To make them self sufficient (33%). To get good job at better place (53.3%). To supplement family income (41.3%). To send children abroad (65.2%). The moralistic purpose of education of children aimed at character building by being able: To learn to respect elders (42.2%); and to avoid bad company (40.7%). Whatever the purpose, the respondents as parents had high ambitions for their children. The purpose of educating sons and daughters was differential in nature. It was gender role specific and linked with traditional mind set. For sons, economic consideration was the main purpose of education to make them self sufficient according to 41.3%, and to supplement family income (40.7%). For daughter s education, it was more of a social obligation: to marry them in good family (6.7%); to be respected in society (40.5%); and to be able to differentiate between right and wrong and good or bad (40.4%). Extent of providing education to children probably was linked with the respondents own status of literacy, education, and occupation as it is obvious from the responses: As much as the children want (72.6%). Upto Middle (1.3%). x

21 Matriculation (11.5%). Senior Secondary (12.3%). BA (1.7%). MA (0.6%). Whatever the purpose, people living in slums as parents hoped and expected their children to live a better life. Outcome of interview with slum children (979) Objective: To study the perception of slum children about importance and benefits of education, affinity with the school, and their educational and vocational plans. Benefits of Education Means of livelihood: for some children education helped them to get job for economic independence (49.2%); in attainment of knowledge to become well informed for 9%; and to sharpen the mind (1.3%). Refinement of character: To become good human being, and to differentiate between right and wrong were other benefits of education as stated by 9.4% children. Irrespective of the background of children, their responses about importance and benefits of education indicated mature thinking as if they had old head on young shoulders. Affinity with the School The Government and Private School children had different reasons for liking the school: Infrastructure (Building, Classrooms), basic amenities and freeships were appreciated more by Govt. School children (62.8%; 34.2%; 14.6% respectively). Adequacy of teachers, teaching; methods, and teachers encouragement to children was appreciated by 88.3% of private school children. Good environment for teaching learning was appreciated by 40.6% children. Participation in School Activities The govt. school children participated in games and sports (22%) and in co-curricular activities (5.7%). The interest of private school children was in races (28.6%) and in playing cricket (13%). But the participation of 68% children was nil. xi

22 Leisure time activities After school, or in free time in school, the children were engaged in: Playing (62.3%). Studying (25.8%). Completing home work (6.7%). Reading (4.7%). Even in adverse circumstances at home, slum children find time to study or read whenever they can afford time for these activities. Desire to study in English Medium Schools was expressed by 70% of children but they could not do so because of financial constraints. Educational and vocational plans of slum children Education Plans Vocational Plans To study upto Senior Secondary (51%) Professionals (To become Teachers, Matriculation (17.8%) Engineer, Doctors, Advocate, Scientist, BA (24.5%) Singer) (57.1%). MA (3.3%) Jobs in Army, Police, Govt. (35%). Very much (2.2%) Not sure (8.4%). As much as father allowed (0.7%) At elementary stage, the children had specific targets and future plans for education and preparation for life which shows clarity of purpose in life. RECOMMENDATIONS Δ For qualitative improvement in Primary Education Given: Class strength: children; or Two classes or two sections of the same class being handled by single teacher in the same room; or xii

23 Only two regular teachers, 3 para teachers and 1176 children to teach and manage (as in case of one of the Govt. Primary Schools of Ludhiana). Pupil-Teacher ratio and RTE norms: one teacher for every class and class-room. In the given situation, no teacher can do justice to impart required knowledge and skills to children in founding years of primary education. Recommendations To expect desired outcomes of teaching-learning, the RTE norms of P-T ratio (30:1) must be adhered to by providing teachers in all classes, and class-rooms of primary education. This will facilitate teachers to impart knowledge and individualised instruction in basic skills of reading, writing and numeracy to children. In ideal setting, with one-to-one pupil-teacher contact, the children learn faster and participate whole heartedly in class-room activities. Filling-up of sanctioned posts lying vacant for years at the earliest, to provide adequate number of teachers in each of primary schools to reduce overcrowding in class-rooms. With required number of teachers per school day-to-day routine functioning of the school will not be affected adversely, even if a couple of teachers are on non-teaching duties. Provision of clerical assistance and peons at school level so that the teachers get relief from non-academic duties to devote time to teaching work in class. To make arrangement for double shift in schools especially with larger population of 1176 children, to reduce overcrowding in classes. Implications for Planning and Policy Makers Equitable allocation and distribution of teachers at primary and upper primary schools. Expediting the process of filling up of the posts keeping in view the adequacy of qualification and training required for primary and upper primary schools. Provisions in annual budget of the state for creation of new and additional posts to match with increasing number of children in primary schools. xiii

24 Budgetary provision for creating post of clerical assistance, peon and safai karamchari in school. Increasing the strength of teachers to match with the requirement of primary and upper primary education. Strategies Recruitment and involvement of trained unemployed graduates on honorary basis as a stop-gap arrangement till the desired number of teachers per school is provided. Δ For improving the progress made by children as cohorts of primary education The data revealed that out of 2710 children enrolled in Class I, only 37.08% of them were successful in completing five year cycle of primary education; 15.2% were repeating the grades; 36.2% were migration cases, and the 11.5% dropped out of the cycle. Recommendations To enhance the success rate and to minimize the drop-outs; and ultimately seeing all the Johnys through to complete the cycle of primary education, the need of the day is to select and recruit the teachers who have aptitude and passion for teaching with mission mode, and dedication and commitment to the profession. With these qualities in teachers, they make teaching-learning a joyful experience for children who love to learn anything taught to them. The question of drop-out, then, does not arise. Apart from the required number of teachers, the class-room infrastructure need to be taken care of by providing adequate seating arrangement for children; light and ventilation in class-rooms; visuals and illustrative aids on the walls to make the classrooms attractive and interesting for the children. The class-room physical environment helps reduce the drop-outs and facilitates learning in children. xiv

25 Implications for formulation of Policy and Planning Timely recruitments, as well as filling up of vacant posts. Evolving rigorous criteria of selection of teachers based on aptitude tests, practical demonstration of teaching skills, and interviews. Appointment of selection committee of experts in the field, known for their integrity and fair judgment so that the selections are made by the right persons, at right time and for right cause. Strategies for enhancement of progress of children Apart from Mid-day-meals, incentives and freeships to be given equally to all poor children to remove barriers of caste/class that cause discrimination among children. With no guidance at home, the children weak in studies to be given extra time to complete the tasks assigned to them in class and/or to complete their home work. Δ For enhancing the knowledge as outcome of the process of teaching and learning The empirical evidence revealed that the academic achievement of Class VIII children in all the six subjects was extremely poor with scores ranging from 9.5% to 27.2%. The range of percentage of subject specialists was 11.2% to 38.9%. The P-T ratio in upper primary schools was 36 to 63. Recommendation In order to enhance the learning levels particularly of upper primary classes, in fitness of things, systematic inservice training in latest techniques of teaching in mathematics, science, and languages needs to be provided to the teachers on priority basis. This will help the teachers to use new methodology to improve the process of teaching and learning and to improve knowledge and skills of children. xv

26 Implications for Policy Planning Budgetary provisions to be made for inservice training programmes for upgrading the skills of teachers teaching languages, maths and science. District level creation of training centres at Directorates of Elementary Education, and provision of subject experts and resource persons to provide training to teachers. Monitoring and supervision for adequacy of the training programme and seriousness on part of experts and the trainees. Regular monitoring of schools whether teachers make use of the new technology of teaching and its impact on learners. Provision of printed instructional material and manuals for teachers to enable them to teach systematically in order to keep pace with the pace of learning of children. Provision of computer-based instructional material and techniques to be used by teacher in class to facilitate the process of teaching and learning. Strategies to enhance teaching-learning To make provision for para-teachers as helper, part time or voluntary teachers to assist the regular teachers in supervising the children at work; render help to them in solving their difficulties, concentrating on their hard spots of learning. Involving bright children who learn faster, to help those peers who take more time to learn. This helps both the teacher and the children in class. Inviting experienced and expert teachers to demonstrate lessons in class for the benefit of teachers to improve upon. Use of illustrative aids, to bring in an element of novelty in class. Punjab Government had introduced ICT in schools. With computer facility, the computer based teaching-training devices can be used to motive children and to let children use computer to learn subjects they find difficult to master otherwise. xvi

27 Δ For teacher training programmes on evaluation of children The data revealed lack of agreement between achievement tests results and teachers assessment of learning levels of children. Recommendations There is an urgent need to train the teachers to evaluate day-to-day progress made by children in class, with proper feedback highlighting children s strengths and weaknesses. This will help the children to know and improve upon their weak spots, particularly in languages, maths and science. Teachers need to be exposed and trained in various techniques of evaluation, particularly in view of the switch over from numerical marking to grading system. This will facilitate the teachers to do justice with the efforts made by children to learn and master the task. Apart from testing knowledge component, teachers need to be trained in continuous comprehensive evaluation of the children taking into consideration their class and outside class participation in school activities throughout the year. Comprehensive evaluation involves assessment of curricular and co-curricular activities of children along with assessment of knowledge which is the true test of progress made by children. Implication for formulation of policy and planning Provisions in the budget to be made specifically to train the teachers for continuous evaluation of children, with a focus on evaluation based on grading system. Strategies For training teachers in evaluation practices the Directorate of Education can approach the Department of Education in neighbouring Universities to seek guidance and technical support from experts in the field of measurement and evaluation. Training in evaluation by subject experts need to be based on workshop mode for the benefit of the trainees. xvii

28 CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION Development of a nation is contingent upon human resource development, which is linked with education, and education is the key requirement for economic growth, which, in turn, is governed by literacy. It is a proven fact that investment in education results in: (i) (ii) (iii) literacy, learning ability, and knowledge, status of health, and, standards of living. The most important outcome of education is literacy which is a stepping stone for furtherance of learning in higher wrung of educational ladder. Impact of education as a social service, particularly of girls education is visible in several indices as, family planning, economic self-reliance, individual and family well being, enhanced self esteem and social status, informed choices and decision making to name a few. Unfortunately, the explosion of population is a great set back to the developmental progress of our country; because literacy is linked with population. Although in the population census decade , literacy rate of India improved from 64.5% to 74.04% in 2011, still the country has the largest population of illiterates, which is one third of the total illiterates of the world. In India the major contributors to illiteracy are the rural population, mainly women and scheduled castes with their concentration in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa, Jharkhand, and also the muslims mainly from Bihar, Bengal and Uttar Pradesh. In India, the female literacy in 2011 was 65.46%, against 82.14% in case of males. Apart from ever increasing population and more than 34% illiteracy among females and almost 18% male illiteracy, India is facing another challenge of ICT (Information, Communication and Technology) that has given rise to explosion of aspirations. In every strata of society, the desire to become millionaire overnight is on the rampant. Alongwith this comes the demand for healthcare services, education, secured job, and improvement in quality of life. The demand for education in general, and quality education in particular is visible in overcrowding class-rooms, and privatization of education. Similarly rush in super specialty hospitals indicated demand for health care services, likewise for higher standards of living. All these factors contribute to human development index (HDI). In 2010, India s HDI was and in comparison to 192 countries the world over, its rank was 119 among them. Human development 1

29 index contributes to GDP growth of a nation. Among the states of India in the top 5 ranks of human development index were Kerala at number one, then Delhi, followed by Himachal Pradesh, then Goa, and Punjab at 5 th position with as its HDI (India Human Development Report 2011). The human development index improved with improvement in education in the last decade. The educationally backward states of Rajasthan, UP, Orissa, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh and Bihar exhibited great improvement in education. In Punjab the Educational Development Index (EDI) was 0.73 (composite of primary and upper primary, with a rank composite 7 in vide indiastat.com. Population and Literacy in Punjab The status of education can be measured in terms of literacy of the population concerned. Punjab being progressive state, it will be pertinent to have an overview of its population as well as literacy. The following table represents ranking of districts in Punjab by population size vide Census Rank in 2011 Table 1.1 Ranking of districts by population size: 2011 District Population 2011 Percentage to the total population of the State 2011 India Punjab % 1 Ludhiana Amritsar Gurdaspur Jalandhar Firozpur Patiala Sangrur Hoshiarpur Bathinda Tarn Taran Moga Sahibzad Ajit Singh Nagar Muktsar Kapurthala Mansa Rupnagar Faridkot Shahid Bhagat Singh Nagar Fatehgarh Sahib Barnala Source: Census of India Provisional Population Total Paper of 2011, Punjab Series IV (p52). 2

30 A glance at the table reveals that the total population of Punjab was recorded to be , which is 20.23% percentage of the total population of India. Among the 20 districts, the population of district Ludhiana was more than 34 lacs, which is 12.6% of the entire population of the state. It is followed by district Amritsar with more than 24 lacs. Next in the rank order come districts Jallandhar (above 21 lacs), and Ferozpur more than 20 lacs. The districts in range of 11 to 19 lacs fall, Patiala, Sangrur, Hoshiarpur, Bathinda and Tarn Taran. The remaining 10 districts recorded 6 to 10 lacs of population. The overall decadal growth of population in the state as percent. Literacy The literacy data of Census 2011 of 20 districts of Punjab have been presented in table 1.2 below. District Code Table 1.2 Literacy Rates by Sex for State and District: 2011 State/District Literacy Rate* Rank Persons 2011 Males 2011 Females 2011 India Punjab Gurdaspur Kapurthala Jalandhar Hoshiarpur Shahid Bhagat Singh Nagar Fatehgarh Sahib Ludhiana Moga Firozpur Muktsar Faridkot Bathinda Mansa Patiala Amritsar Tarn Taran Rupnagar Sahibzada Ajit Singh Nagar Sangrur Barnala Note- *Literacy rate is the percentage of literates to population aged 7 years and above. Source: Census of India Provisional Population Totals Paper of 2011, Punjab Series IV (p85). 3

31 The total literacy figures for the state of Punjab as shown in the table are: 76.7% for persons, 81.5% for males and 71.3% for females, compared to the national literacy figures of 74.04, 82.14, for persons, males and females respectively. The total literacy of Punjab is 2.66% higher than national rate. In case of males, it is 0.64 percent lesser than national literacy for males. But literacy in case of women of Punjab is 5.84% higher than female literacy of the country. The Rank of literacy in Punjab is 21 in India. Within the state, the highest literacy was recorded in district Hoshiarpur, with 85.4, 89.9%, 80.8% for persons, males and females respectively. The second highest literacy rate was in district S.A.S. Nagar (Mohali); and Rupnagar (District Ropar) was at No.3. In comparison, in all the districts, the male-female disparity in literacy was quite large, but the decadal growth in literacy from in case of males was 6.3%, whereas in case of females, it was 7.9% showing considerable improvement in literacy. The rank order, literacy rates of persons, males and females in the Corporation cities were: Ludhiana (at No. 4) recorded 82.5, 86.3, 78.2 percent; Jalandhar (Rank 5) with 82.4, 86.1 and 75.4%, in Amritsar (Rank 10), literacy rates were 77.2, 81.2 and 82.8 percent. In Patiala, (Rank 11), the figures were 76.3, 81.4, and 70.5 percent, in Bathinda (Rank 15), the literacy rtes were 69.6, 75.3 and 62.9 percent in respect of persons, males and females. It is observed that the districts even with less population had lower rates of literacy. In this category fall district Mansa (62.8%), Muktsar (66.8%), Barnala and Sangrur (68.9%) and the total literacy of district Tarn Taran was 69.4%. Access to Education and RTE Norms The RTE Act 2009, enforced in April 2010, accords free and compulsory education for all children in the age group of 6-14 years, laying focus on access, and quality education to children. Access to education is determined by enrolments of all children in the compulsory school age of 6 to 14 years in primary and elementary schools. The literacy figures per se represent the entire population of state including children. With enforcement of RTE, it will be in order to examine the accessibility of children of 6 to 14 4

32 years of age to free education in primary and upper primary schools of Punjab. The enrolment data in this regard have been presented in the table to follow. Enrolment in Primary Classes I to V Table 1.3 records the enrolment of all boys and girls, and also SC boys and girls in primary classes in 20 districts of Punjab. Table 1.3 Districtwise Number of Students in Schools of Punjab (As on 30 th September 2011) District Classes I to V (All) Classes I to V (SCs) Boys Girls Total Boys Girls Total Gurdaspur Pathankot Amritsar Tarn Taran Kapurthala Jallandhar S.B.S. Nagar Hoshiarpur Rupnagar S.A.S. Nagar Ludhiana Ferozpur Fazilka Faridkot Shri Muktsar Sahib Moga Bathinda Mansa Sangrur Barnala Patiala Fatehgarh Sahib Source: Director of Public Instructions (S.E.), Punjab. In Statistical Abstracts of Punjab Enrolments of all children The table entries depict that maximum enrolment of all categories of children were in districts of Ludhiana (286379); in Amritsar (229350); Jalandhar (202059); Patiala (186272). The districts with 10 to 15 lacs of children are Gurdaspur (149377); Bathinda (127928); Tarn Taran (116499); and Fazilka (107077) in order of enrolments. 5

33 Enrolments of SC Children Similar picture emerged in case of SC children enrolled in schools as that of total number of children in primary classes. The maximum number of SC children was in Amritsar (88927); followed by Ludhiana (86244); then in Jalandhar (81344); and Bathinda (563250). Enrolment in Classes VI to VIII Table 1.4 records the enrolment data of upper primary classes. Table 1.4 Districtwise Number of Students in Schools of Punjab (As on 30 th September 2011) District Classes VI to VIII (All) Classes VI to VIII (SCs) Boys Girls Total Boys Girls Total Gurdaspur Pathankot Amritsar Tarn Taran Kapurthala Jallandhar S.B.S. Nagar Hoshiarpur Rupnagar S.A.S. Nagar Ludhiana Ferozpur Fazilka Faridkot Shri Muktsar Sahib Moga Bathinda Mansa Sangrur Barnala Patiala Fatehgarh Sahib Source: Director of Public Instructions (S.E.), Punjab. In Statistical Abstracts of Punjab Total Enrolments Entries in table 1.4 reflect that maximum enrolment in case of all children in upper primary classes was observed in district Ludhiana (151395); next in line was Amritsar (121072), then Jalandhar (113970); and Patiala (101426). 6