Union education ministry’s report should be an eye-opener to bring in major changes
The Union Ministry of Education’s report released on Thursday has brought to the fore the ground reality of the government-run school system in Goa. The dropout rate, enrolment, teacher-pupil ratio, infrastructure, orientation and other aspects of government-run schools have been highlighted in the report.
Presently, Goa has 1,487 schools – 862 foundational and preparatory level, 77 middle and 548 secondary level schools – with an enrolment of 3,04,735 students, who are taught by 14,594 teachers, with the pupil-teacher ratio of 21.
The Unified District Information System for Education Plus (UDISE+) 2023-24, which is a data aggregation platform, states in the report that of the 789 government schools in Goa, only 158, that is 20%, have functional computer facilities for pedagogical purposes. The report said that of the total 1,487 schools in Goa, 816 (that is 54.9%) have such facilities including 20% government schools, 94.6% government-aided schools and 92.9% private aided schools, with total 671 schools in Goa not having any such facility.
This is very disappointing considering that Goa was much ahead on introducing IT or computer education to the students. That was 20 year ago. The then CM Manohar Parrikar had introduced a cyberage scheme, a unique initiative in the country. Every child eligible for the scheme was looking forward to getting a laptop. The decision had given a boost to education in the state. Later smart classrooms were introduced by the other governments.
Comparatively, 100% schools in Chandigarh, 99.9% schools in Delhi, 99.3% schools in Puducherry and 99.1% schools in Kerala have functional computer facility for pedagogical purpose.
It is astonishing to know that there are four schools in the state with zero enrolment and 16 teachers are there in these four schools. Altogether 238 schools are with single teacher and have a total enrolment of 3,142.
Considering the situation, it’s a sad commentary on what we give to the students from the poor strata of the society who study in these schools. The parents have put them in government-run schools as probably they cannot afford private schools or the government- run ones are nearby to their residence or they are convinced that they should teach their wards in a regional language.
In Goa, the situation is peculiar in the last 15-20 years ago. Enrolment has dropped drastically in government-run schools leading to closure of schools over the years.
The government-run schools are sustaining mainly because of the economically weaker section of the society. Why shouldn’t they get a better deal? The central government is pushing for new strategies for learning and here, we are unable to deliver quality education to the children studying in government primary schools. No doubt, in view of the background of the children, it is challenging for the teachers in these schools. There are teachers who do their bit in making teaching interesting to the children, many of whom are first generation learners. Government school in Morpilla, is one such school. It has won recognition for the upliftment of the tribals.
It is time the government takes a hard look at the government primary school system. Schools shouldn’t be run just to show the numbers and keep the staff in service. For the child, schooling should be joyous. The child will do well if he/she likes to be in school. The union education ministry’s report should be a reminder for the state government to, maybe, consult some experts and take appropriate action to improve the quality of education in government-run schools.
