Hw far has India cme in guaranteeing educatin? The Right t Educatin Act & ASER findings 2010-2012 Right t Educatin Act The Right f Children t Free and Cmpulsry Educatin Act, 2009, which aims t prvide cmpulsry schling t all children in the 6-14 age grup, came int frce n April 1, 2010. Sectin 6 f the Right t Free and Cmpulsry Educatin Act states that the lcal authrity and the apprpriate gvernment shall ensure that there is a schl in every neighbrhd within a perid f 3 years frm the cmmencement f the Act. Sectin 19 f the Act states that where a schl, established befre the cmmencement f the Act, des nt fulfill the nrms and standards specified in the schedule, it shall d st s within a perid f 3 years frm the cmmencement f the Act. This means, that by 31 March 2013: The lcal authrity and the apprpriate gvernment shall ensure that there is a schl in every neighbrhd. Every schl must fulfill the nrms and standards specified in the schedule f the Act. These nrms and standards include: Pupil Teacher Rati nrms (These vary with schl type, whether primary r upper primary, and number f children enrlled); All-weather building; At least ne classrm fr every teacher; Barrier free access; Office-cum-stre-rm-cum-Head teacher's rm; Separate tilets fr bys and girls; Safe and adequate drinking water facility fr all children; Arrangements fr securing the schl building by bundary wall r fencing; Kitchen shed where mid day meal is cked in the schl; Library prviding newspaper, magazines and bks n all subjects, including stry bks; Teaching learning equipment t be prvided t every class, as required; Play material, games and sprts equipment t be prvided t every class, as required th It has been clarified by the Central Gvernment, thrugh a guideline dated 26 Octber 2012, that it is nt necessary t have a playgrund within schl premises. Hwever, schls must prvide alternative arrangements in nearby parks fr children t play utdr games and ther physical activities. Abut ASER The Annual Status f Educatin Reprt (ASER) is a sample based husehld survey, which has been cnducted annually since 2005. ASER is cnducted in every rural district in India and is carried ut by a lcal rganisatin r institutin in the district. The survey is cnducted each year between the mnths f September and Nvember. In 2012, the survey reached 567 districts, 16,166 villages, 331,881 husehlds and 5,96,846 children. Abut 500 rganizatins and 25,000 vlunteers participated in this effrt. ASER seeks t answer tw basic questins: Are children enrlled in schl? Are they learning? Using simple tls, children in the age grup 5 t 16, are asked t d a set f basic reading and arithmetic tasks. Since 2009, in each sampled village, ASER als included the survey f the largest gvernment schl with primary sectins t cllect infrmatin n RTE indicatrs. ASER findings & RTE indicatrs Hw far have we cme in meeting the desired RTE nrms? Since 2005, ASER has been reprting high enrlment levels acrss the cuntry. In 2012, enrlment fr children (age 6 t 14 years) was ver 96%. But is this enugh t guarantee educatin? Is the prprtin f ut-f-schl children declining? If children are in schl, are they learning? Have schls achieved the infrastructure nrms, as utlined in the RTE Act? ASER findings frm 2010-2012 prvide empirical evidence n hw far India and its states have cme in cmplying with the RTE indicatrs. This reprt is based n ASER data fr measureable RTE indicatrs.
Hw far has India cme in guaranteeing educatin? The Right t Educatin Act & ASER findings 2010-2012 Are children enrlled in schl? Table 1: All India (rural): % Children nt enrlled in schl 2010-2012 2010 2011 2012 Age: 6-14 ALL Age: 6-14 BOYS Age: 6-14 GIRLS 3.6 3.9 Age: 7-16 ALL 5.6 5.3 5.9 Age: 7-10 ALL Age: 7-10 BOYS Age: 7-10 GIRLS Age: 11-14 ALL Age: 11-14 BOYS Age: 11-14 GIRLS 5.7 6.0 Table 2: Selected states: % Children nt enrlled in schl 2010-2012 2010 State 2011 2012 All Bys Girls All Bys Girls All Bys Girls 6-14 11-14 11-14 6-14 11-14 11-14 6-14 11-14 11-14 Andhra Pradesh 6.6 2.8 6.0 2.6 5.6 Arunachal Pradesh Assam 9.0 7.4 8.6 8.7 5.4 Bihar 4.6 3.0 Chhattisgarh 3.0 4.3 2.6 Gujarat 5.6 8.0 2.9 6.1 7.1 Haryana 1.4 Himachal Pradesh 0.3 0.4 0.7 2.3 What ASER says... The Right f Children t Free and Cmpulsry Educatin Act, 2009 states that every child f the age f six t furteen years shall have a right t free and cmpulsry educatin in a neighburhd schl till cmpletin f elementary educatin. Natinally, fr rural areas, ASER findings shw that India is very clse t achieving universal enrlment. Fr children in the age grup 6-14 years, enrllment levels have been 96% r mre fr the last fur years. We are nw facing the last mile prblem. Thse wh are still ut f schl are the hardest t reach and the hardest t teach. Special effrts have t be made t bring such children t schl and t encurage them t attend schl regularly. In sme states, lder girls (in the age grup 11-14 years) als need fcused and immediate attentin. In Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan, the percentage f girls f this age grup wh are nt enrlled is higher than 10%. In Odisha, Jharkhand and Gujarat, the prprtin f girls (11-14 years) wh are nt enrlled is mre than 6%. Jammu & Kashmir Jharkhand 4.9 4.7 6.3 Karnataka 5.9 2.8 3.9 5.1 Kerala 0.2 0.3 Madhya Pradesh Maharashtra 1.6 Manipur 1.4 2.3 Meghalaya 7.2 12.3 6.8 1 4.7 5.3 7.6 Mizram 5.7 2.9 2.8 Nagaland 2.0 3.9 Odisha 7.2 5.4 4.1 6.2 6.6 Punjab 1.6 2.9 2.6 2.0 Rajasthan 1 8.9 5.1 4.9 11.2 Sikkim 0.7 0.9 Tamil Nadu 0.9 1.2 0.9 Tripura 2.0 0.7 Uttar Pradesh 7.4 9.7 6.1 7.4 9.7 8.8 1 Uttarakhand 1.2 West Bengal 4.6 8.3 4.3 8.4 4.3 6.5 All India 5.7 6.0 Nte: Figures frm Ga and unin territries have nt been included. Nt enrlled = drpped ut + never enrlled
Hw far has India cme in guaranteeing educatin? The Right t Educatin Act & ASER findings 2010-2012 Learning Levels: Reading, Arithmetic & English What ASER says... Table 3: Selected states: % Children in different classes wh can: ASER asks children t read simple text in their reginal language, d basic arithmetic peratins and read easy English sentences. Here are the findings frm 2012: Reading: The estimates fr rural India suggest that less than half f all children currently in Std V can read Std II level text. Clse t ne furth f all children in Std VIII are als struggling with basic reading fluency in their reginal language. State Andhra Pradesh Arunachal Pradesh Assam Read a Std II level text 59.4 5 36.3 Std V : ASER 2012 Std VIII : ASER 2012 D a simple divisin prblem 4 44.7 11.4 Read basic English sentences 47.2 59.7 16.3 Read a Std II level text 87.0 87.4 67.4 D a simple divisin prblem 65.9 79.1 3 Read basic English sentences 76.9 88.5 48.9 Arithmetic: The situatin with arithmetic is even mre wrrying. In mst states, children are expected t d simple divisin prblems by Std IV. The ASER data fr 2012 indicates that three ut f fur Bihar Chhattisgarh Gujarat 4 46.1 47.6 31.4 14.1 13.9 16.3 7.2 6.5 80.8 77.5 80.9 67.0 31.4 4 48.9 31.2 35.1 children in Std V have difficulty in crrectly slving a 3 digit by 1 digit divisin prblem. Even in Std VIII, abut half f all children are unable t slve such a prblem. Haryana Himachal Pradesh Jammu & Kashmir 59.8 72.8 4 42.9 48.7 20.9 4 54.7 5 87.4 9 64.7 67.2 7 36.8 69.0 8 69.9 English: English as a subject is taught in mst states frm early grades. In Std V, ver three quarters f all children cannt read simple English sentences. By Std VIII, nly abut half f all children can read basic English text. Jharkhand Karnataka Kerala Madhya Pradesh 37.8 48.5 6 3 2 19.9 45.9 12.3 18.8 17.4 6 8.3 7 74.6 84.3 67.8 57.4 46.1 7 34.9 45.1 48.9 86.0 24.1 Althugh the RTE Act guarantees eight years f schling, as a cuntry we must aspire t ensure that children spend at least eight years in schl and at the end f this perid they are well prepared fr mving int higher classes in schl. After eight years f Maharashtra Manipur Meghalaya 58.3 63.6 64.6 22.6 44.7 18.5 21.2 65.1 66.0 8 85.3 78.3 4 73.9 49.8 50.0 85.4 8 schling, every Indian child shuld have basic skills f reading, cmprehensin, expressin, critical thinking and prblem slving and be prepared t deal adequately with life. Snapsht f ASER tls Mizram Nagaland Odisha Punjab 59.2 52.6 47.0 7 4 34.6 18.3 52.0 54.1 64.7 20.4 5 9 88.6 7 86.3 86.3 8 42.9 6 90.9 90.3 48.4 70.8 Stry Divisin Rajasthan 46.9 2 14.7 77.5 45.1 39.8 Sikkim 61.6 4 8 93.6 78.1 97.2 Tamil Nadu 29.9 13.0 2 6 37.4 46.2 Tripura 36.8 20.8 18 66.0 4 47.6 Uttar Pradesh 4 2 1 69.6 36.5 3 Sentence Uttarakhand 58.4 3 29.6 83.9 57.4 53.9 West Bengal 48.7 28.5 23.9 76.2 4 40.2 All India 46.8 2 2 7 48.1 47.0 Nte: Figures frm Ga and unin territries have nt been included.
Hw far has India cme in guaranteeing educatin? The Right t Educatin Act & ASER findings 2010-2012 Schl bservatins In each year s ASER, frm 2009 nwards, in each sampled village, the largest gvernment schl with primary sectins was visited n the day f the survey. Infrmatin abut schls is based n these visits. Table 4: All India (rural): Table 5: All India (rural): Student and teacher attendance n the day Number f schls visited 2010-2012 f the visit 2010-2012 What ASER says Table 6: All India (rural): Schls meeting selected RTE nrms 2010-2012 Attendance teachers and students Since 2009, ASER findings have shwn a decline in bth teacher and student attendance. In 2012, in primary schls, the average percentage f students present was 7% and the percentage f teachers present std at 8 % n day f visit. Pupil- teacher rati ASER's schl bservatins shw imprvement in cmpliance with PTR nrms. In 2010, the prprtin f schls meeting these nrms was 38.9%. This figure has risen t 42.8% in 2012. Drinking water The prprtin f schls with drinking water facilities has remained largely unchanged since 2010. In 2012, 73% schls visited had drinking water facilities available. Tilets The prprtin f schls withut tilets has reduced frm 1% in 2011 t 8.4% in 2012. Apprximately 80% f the schls visited had a separate tilet fr girls. Of all the schls visited, clse t half had useable facilities, in cmparisn t a third in 2010. Mid-day meal The mid-day meal was bserved being served in 87.1% f all schls visited, an increase ver 2010. The Right f Children t Free and Cmpulsry Educatin Act, 2009 specifies a series f nrms and standards fr a schl. Nrms fr number f teachers vary accrding t the level f the schl (primary r upper primary) and ttal student enrllment. Nrms fr classrms require the schl t have at least ne classrm fr every teacher. Nrms fr facilities require schls t prvide each f the facilities mentined in the table abve, amng thers. RTE nrms regulate prvisin f facilities but nt their useability. ASER schl bservatins als include whether facilities culd be used. This infrmatin is included in the table abve.
Table 7: Perfrmance f schls with respect t selected Right t Educatin indicatrs
Table 8: Other selected indicatrs in schls Library available but n bks being used by children n day f visit Cmputers available but nt being used by children n day f visit Ttal Enrllment f 60 children r less All India 24.7 29.1 3 37.9 4 43.9 80.7 8 81.4 76.5 78.2 78.8 7.2 8.7 10.7 8.6 8.6 9.4 17.3 19.9 2