Dropout fear over school detention - Questions on impact of tweak on poor

BASANT KUMAR MOHANTY, TT, New Delhi, Oct. 26: An elementary education survey in rural Punjab has found that government schools cater largely to poor and Dalit children, raising the possibility that they could drop out in large numbers if the no-detention policy till Class VIII is tweaked.

The findings of the "Diagnostic Analysis of Elementary Education Scheme in Rural Punjab", done by the Niti Aayog, have come at a time when a proposal has been made to tweak the Right to Education Act to allow states to decide whether to promote all children till Class VIII or detain them according to learning outcome.

Although the no-detention policy has been seen as the principal factor for poor learning among children, the survey has pinned the blame on lack of facilities in schools and disinterest among parents and teachers.

However, the former director of the National Council of Educational Research and Training, Krishna Kumar, felt that dropout rates among poor children would increase if the no-detention policy were modified.

"Experts have always supported no-detention of children up to Class VIII. Detention means poor children may drop out in large numbers. It is their right to be in school till they turn 14 years of age as per the RTE Act. Who will protect their right?" Kumar asked.

The academic said there was no direct connection between the no-detention policy and poor learning outcome. "There is no guarantee that scrapping the policy will result in improvement of standards," he said.

The Central Advisory Board of Education had yesterday suggested an amendment in the no-detention provision in the RTE act. The government will take a final decision.

According to the Niti Aayog survey, which covered children of Classes V and VIII in 790 rural schools in six districts of Punjab, most students belong to poor and illiterate families. Some attend school just to have the mid-day meal and get the school uniform.

"Government schools are dominated by socially and economically disadvantaged categories due to obvious reasons. The general category students prefer to go to private schools," the survey said.

Kumar agreed with the findings, saying the situation was similar in the whole country.

Nearly 30 per cent rural households in Punjab belong to the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes. The average monthly household income is estimated at Rs 7,741.

The survey found that government school buildings, other infrastructure and furniture were poorly maintained. Cleanliness levels and sports facilities were dismal. Few teachers and lack of teaching aids were additional problems.

"Parents, too, have failed to realise the importance of education and least bother about the education of their wards. The teachers of government rural schools do not take interest in teaching due to the burden of non-academic work coupled with lack of interest among the parents," the study said.

Expectedly, students' academic performance was dismal. Many were not able to answer simple questions from the syllabus. Others could not write in Hindi, English or even Punjabi.