Need to revamp government schools

Introduction
“The ability to read, write, and analyze; the confidence to stand up and demand justice and
equality; the qualifications and connections to get your foot in the door and take your seat at the
table — all of that starts with education.” —Michelle Obama
Organized education has a long history in India. Gurukuls, which were generally the teacher’s
home or a monastery, were historic Hindu residential institutions of study. Following Macaulay’s
advice, the British developed and supported the current educational system, which has a western
aesthetic and focus. Traditional buildings have been deteriorating ever since the British
government refused to acknowledge them. Over the past 50 years, India’s education system has
grown rapidly as a result of these State and Center-led initiatives, yet its present successes are
woefully insufficient for the country to reach its full potential.

What are the issues pertaining to the education in government schools?
Poor infrastructure, high dropout rates, ineffective welfare programme execution, unfair student
treatment, and incompetent instructors plague government schools across India. Has the
administration intentionally undermined public education, or is it a legacy issue?
When there is labour to be done at home or during harvest season, parents pull their children out
of school because they don’t think it is important. Children who are repeatedly taken out of class
fall behind in their studies, lose interest in them, and find it difficult to go on. As a result, they drop
out. For girls, where the stereotype is still common, the situation is even worse. Teachers find it
exceedingly challenging to keep these young brains engaged after they become accustomed to
earning money through menial tasks, especially in secondary school. Naturally, their interest in
school wanes as they realize that they are free to utilise this money to meet their own needs or the
needs of their family members. No amount of persuasion will entice them to continue their
education despite the promise of increased employment prospects. The COVID epidemic has made
this bleak condition worse and contributed to the excessive growth in dropout rates brought on by
the poverty and unstable earnings of rural residents.
Although schools are meant to be the temples of learning, India’s educational facilities are in
disrepair owing to subpar infrastructure. Indian schools struggle with a lack of instructors, power,
and restrooms. For the females, the absence of simple sanitary facilities is detrimental. Another
issue is the lack of power, which compromises attention during the summer months when studying.
Teachers have long complained that their students were frequently absent or left school after a
particular class, but now the public and parents also frequently voice their concerns about teachers
who fail to show up for lessons, attend classes erratically, or manage entire schools with a small
number of substitutes. The situation appears odd. Teachers are often found to have juggle several
tasks in environments with limited capacity and resources. Identifying and accounting for all the
duties that are allocated to teachers that are not linked to teaching and taking up time that might
be used for academic activities.
The mid-day meal programme was established to lessen social injustices brought about by the
tenacity of social institutions, or the hierarchical division of society. By excluding the
underprivileged and stigmatised, this systemic inequality directly prevents equal access to
development’s advantages. But the midday food programme has been poorly implemented (now
known as PM Poshan scheme). Many reports draw attention to the subpar, unhygienic food that
fails to meet even the most basic nutritional needs. According to reports, government schools in
Uttar Pradesh demonstrated in July that they had not received any funding for midday meals for
three months, which prevented some schools from providing food to students as part of the
programme. A few schools required the instructors and Gram Pradhan (village head) to buy rations
on credit or out of their own pockets to feed the students. The non-release of money by the Finance
Department was blamed by the Education Department for the payment delay.
We observe an unspoken rule in society that states that children from extremely poor households
must attend the local government school, but children from middle-class and other well-off
families are admitted to foreign schools or other private institutions that provide the CBSE and
ICSE curricula. This duality sometimes fosters an air of untouchability between the haves and
have-nots, which serves to further social inequality.
Because it undermines social trust and exacerbates inequality, corruption in education poses a
threat to society’s well-being. By inhibiting the development of intelligent, capable, and moral
people for future leadership and the labour force, it sabotages development. Education policy
development and planning, school administration and purchasing, and teacher behaviour are all
impacted by corruption in the primary and secondary sectors. Corruption happens in the
distribution, implementation, and utilization of public funds designated for education. Even minor
corruption in budgeting can result in a large loss of public funds given the entire magnitude of
financing for a nation’s educational system. According to the corruption Perception Index Q2,
released by Transparency International, India has been ranked 85th position out of 180 nations.
This very well portrays the grim situation in India.
Primary and Upper Primary School teachers are in short supply in Uttar Pradesh, totaling 73711.
When both administrators and teachers are included, the shortfall in primary schools totals 126028.
These figures were presented during the Samagra Shiksha for Uttar Pradesh’s Annual Work Plan
& Budget (AWP&B) 2021–22 conference, which took place on June 17, 2021. The Pupil Teacher
Ratio (PTR) criteria and norms established by the Right to Education (RTE) Act are 30:1 and 35:1
at the primary and upper primary levels, respectively. The RTE Act went into effect on April 1,
2010, and the 10 criteria in the regulations had to be followed within three years after that date.
However, despite being in effect for 11 years, the execution is still subpar.
India’s largest state by population is Uttar Pradesh. The most sensible way to prevent community
transmission during the COVID-19 problem was to close schools in order to preserve social
distance. The most disadvantaged pupils, however, are disproportionately harmed by this
protracted shutdown. In addition to widening the gap in educational inequality, the pandemic has
also made already existing gaps worse. In contrast to the national average of 77.7%, the most
recent NSO poll from 2020 placed UP in the fifth-to-last position with a score of 73%. Men have
a literacy rate of 81.8%, while women have a rate of 63.4%. This trend has to change.
The history of RIGHT to Education (RTE) is fascinating. It was originally a directive state policy
principle, making it non-enforceable. Later, via legal rulings, it was determined that education is
a necessary component of a life of dignity under Article 21 of the Constitution. Thus, it took on an
enforced form. When the Indian Constitution’s Article 21A was added by the Parliament in 2002,
RTE became legally recognised as a basic right. By passing the Right to Education Act, 2009, the
Parliament strengthened the right in 2009. The Act goes into great detail about the people’ rights
and the state’s responsibilities with regard to the right to education. The state and corporate
institutions have often violated the right despite these aggressive measures.

How to move about it?
This demonstrates the necessity for revamp in Uttar Pradesh’s government schools (though needed
throughout India). The improvement of student learning abilities and the creation of more
intellectual, competitive, and aware citizens have been the main goals of the global evolution of
the educational system. Even while the modern educational system has extremely admirable and
good intentions, there are certain harsh realities that are difficult to ignore. The New Education
Policy, 2020 aspires to create an educational system that encourages young people to develop
marketable skills. To do this, we must also concentrate on creating a climate that supports students’
emotional and physical health. This is only possible if the dire circumstances of the government
schools are remedied.
The Yogi 2.0 administration had ambitious intentions to reform education in the span of 100 days
in April 2022, when the globe was still suffering from the COVID effects. All students enrolled in
public schools would be required to register for Aadhaar. Government secondary schools would
have to implement a Wi-Fi enabled biometric verification system. In addition, there would be an
internet gateway for libraries and a system for rating schools. Although this action is
commendable, more attention has to be paid to improving access to education in schools. Many
people still choose not to attend school as a result of stereotypes, which are common in rural
regions. The provision of fundamental facilities and encouragement of student enrolment growth,
by means of incentivizing them should come next.
On April 4, 2022, at Shrawasti, the state’s ‘School Chalo Abhiyan’ was introduced by CM Yogi
Adityanath. In order to improve the condition of schools in their respective regions, the CM
solicited the help of lawmakers, council members, panchayat and municipal officials. Following
this, a directive was given to the gazetted officers to adopt a school each in order to modernize the
schools. Operation Kayakalp was another name for this adoption effort. The officials are
anticipated to upgrade the school facilities and infrastructure. To hasten the process, the
government may include NGOS and commercial groups.
Because education is the cornerstone of the development of human capital, it is necessary to
overhaul the educational system in government schools. We will have to muster the confidence to
take action as a group in light of the obstacles that have emerged and become stronger. The
government and private organisations will need to make an open intervention in this. Despite the
government’s aggressive efforts in the education sector, there are still numerous areas where we
fall short. Along with the issues already mentioned, skill-based education has to be prioritized as
it has been strongly raised by the NEP 2020.
Urban schools, which are not always of a higher caliber than rural schools, also suffer from
segmentation in a different way. The government appears to have neglected its duty to ensure that
kids in urban areas receive an education. New public schools haven’t been created in cities and
towns, despite the rapidly growing urban population. Unspoken belief is that the public’s
educational demands will be met by private institutions. The urban poor are particularly affected
since they are prepared to pay a significant amount of money and have a strong desire to send their
kids to prestigious schools. However, they are dissatisfied because the majority of institutions offer
an excuse for education. They often feature subpar facilities, inadequate equipment, unqualified
teachers, and low pay.
The following actions must be taken by the government to enhance the educational system: Ensure
high-quality instruction in public schools to lessen the appeal of private institution. The system’s
quality can be improved by having teachers who are more educated and trained. The government
need to encourage them to take pleasure in their line of work by giving them chances for creative
and innovative education. It is important to take precautions throughout the hiring process to
guarantee that only candidates who are dedicated to teaching as a profession and not just job
seekers are chosen. Give DIETs the respect they deserve and hire the greatest instructors there. To
entice the top candidates, provide teachers unique incentives for DIET placements. Show teachers
the deference they merit as a profession. Put a stop to the practice of hiring teachers for a variety
of extracurricular activities. The examination and assessment system also requires revision. Instead
of rote learning, the focus must be on conceptual comprehension and critical thinking. The quest
of high-quality education inside the governmental system could only be a mirage without
coordinated work at all levels.
All interested parties, including parents, school administrations, community organisations, and the
Education Department, must be included in the creation of such guidelines. Once the legislative
framework has been established, a system of fines and punishments should also be established to
enforce compliance.
Education is the passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it today.”
—Malcolm X