BHUBANESWAR: In three tribal-dominated districts of Odisha - Mayurbhanj, Kandhamal and Rayagada - children of government schools are way behind their counterparts at the State level as far as learning English, mathematics and science is concerned.
If the National Achievement Survey (which evaluates learning outcomes of students of classes III, V, VIII and X) that was released by the Ministry of Education recently is an indication, the students of Classes III and V in these districts can neither read simple texts nor do basic arithmetic. Those studying in Classes VIII and X cannot do science investigations or relate science processes and phenomena with causes.
This is despite the fact that the School and Mass Education department has been claiming to implement many learning interventions including the Foundational Literacy and Numeracy (FLN) programme and increasing learning time in these three subjects from 45 minutes to 90 minutes across the State since 2019.
As per the survey, in Rayagada, only 52 per cent of students in Class III could answer questions in the English language against the State average of 62 per cent. It is 44 per cent against the State average of 60 per cent in mathematics.
In Kandhamal, 34 per cent of students in government schools could read basic English and just 24 per cent of students could differentiate materials, objects, organisms, phenomena, and processes, based on properties and characteristics. Likewise in Mayurbhanj, as compared to the State average of 42 per cent, only 34 per cent of students could read English texts, and 22 per cent of students could derive science formulae, equations, and laws. Even in primary grades, just 38 pc students of Kandhamal could do maths addition and subtraction.
Educationists blamed the poor show for three reasons - absence of qualified teachers, lack of training in mother tongue and poor IQ of students. Kailash Chandra Dandapat, a Kandhamal-based education activist said although public schools outnumber private schools in the district, there is no effort being made by government teachers to improve the IQ of students from the primary level.
“Last week, we did a study on 34 Plus II and Plus III students. Less than five of them could do a basic math equation. One can judge the kind of education they have received so far,” he said.
In Rayagada, where around 500 public schools were closed in the period between pre and post-Covid, there aren’t enough teachers. Similar is the case with Mayurbhanj. In both the districts, which are primarily tribal-dominated, mother-tongue-based learning is not happening.
“When you train the children in a particular language which they do not understand or faintly understand, the learning outcome is obviously low. This also curtails brain development of the children,” said Ananta Samanta, a member of Sikshasandhan working in the Rayagada district.
School and Mass Education Minister Samir Ranjan Dash said the department is planning interventions that would help students of these districts in learning the subjects in a better manner. Admitting to the problem of lack of trained teachers in these three districts, the Minister said that recruitment will be done soon.