The latest World Bank Report 2018, aptly titled ‘Learning to Realise Education’s Promise’, mentions: “Even after several years in school, millions of children cannot read, write or do basic maths. This learning crisis is widening social gaps instead of narrowing them.” About India it rather repeats the general perception on learning levels: “In rural India, under three quarters of students in Grade 3 could not solve a two-digit subtraction such as 46 minus 17, and by Grade 5 half could still not do so.” Educational planners and implementers are already well-familiar with such findings. Confronted with related queries, Central and state governments come forward with a series of measures initiated over the last several decades to overcome the situation. At the ground level, positive changes are not much visible as most of the initiatives have, unfortunately, failed to deliver the expected and desired outcomes.
The query, “why are we so weak at the implementation level”, has remained unanswered yet very pertinent over the years. The report under reference, once again, gives some food for thought when it infers that, “The learning crisis is a moral and economic crisis!” It is indeed puzzling that India, universally acknowledged as the fountainhead of spiritual understanding and maintaining moral and ethical standards in its life and living, should find it difficult to tackle this moral crisis. The leadership had fully realised that education is the only ray of hope to enhance productivity, generate employment, eradicate poverty, uplift the economic growth, create social cohesion and religious amity in a diverse society, and to upgrade the lives of those who were marginalised for ages for no fault of theirs. Well-known Constitutional directive to the state to achieve universal elementary education within 10 years bears ample testimony to this courageous resolve.
Three/fourth of the Indian populace now consists of literate and educated persons. Extension of educational access and increased participation has not led to the expected strengthening of moral, ethical and humanistic quotient of the society. Teacher education institutions, the prime source to inculcate values among teachers, are now victims of rampant commercialisation. Private sector that has now an astonishing presence at 92 per cent is mostly concerned with ‘dividends’.
The remaining 8 per cent government institutions are victims of persistent neglect. No regular appointments, no promotions, no incentives and above all, no recognition of the pioneering role these institutions could play in ‘character building’. It is in these institutions that future school teachers learn they are the creators of future India; they shall have the rare opportunity of shaping the lives of thousands of children. Sadly enough, several states are still struggling with the archaic procedures of teacher recruitment on one side, and adverse consequences of appointing para teachers on a large scale. All this has demoralised the system, and has pushed corruption to new limits. Several reports are now emerging indicating how dual enrolments are being used by the unscrupulous elements to fill in their coffers with stolen scholarship money and provisions for mid-day meals. Hope must persist; India still has young persons, teachers, scholars and educational administrators with unimpeachable reputation for integrity, competence and commitment to the cause of preparing future generations.
Systems must utilise this valuable resource without any hesitation. Economic inputs are necessary, as are the basic facilities. In the words of Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore, “We will have to give a call to thinkers who are wholeheartedly and with all their energy engaged in the process of research, invention and creation.” Only they can evolve a system rooted in Indian culture and committed to progress.
J S Rajput
Former director of the NCERT
rajput_js@yahoo.co.in