Education in Rural India

Quality education in rural India is still a distant dream. In rural areas there is no such schools are available that provide good education. In rural areas, there is lack of good schools, lack of skilled teachers, lack of infrastructures, lack of dedication for teaching to the children etc. That is the main reason behind that about one-fourth students between 14-18 years in rural India cannot count money properly despite being enrolled in school for years. 40% of them can’t tell what time it is. Another 44% can’t add weights correctly.

                A survey named called the Annual Status of Education Report (ASER), shows that even though the number of rural students attending schools is rising, but more than the half of the students in fifth grades are unable to read a second grade text book and are not able to solve simple mathematical problems. Not only this, the level of math and reading is further declining.

According to ASER report for 2017:-

·         One-fourth students from rural areas couldn’t read their own language fluently.

·         57% struggled to solve simple arithmetic problems.

·         14% couldn’t identify India’s map.

·         36% didn’t know India’s capital.

·         21% couldn’t tell the state they live in.

·         40% had no role models to guide professional aspirations.

·         86% were enrolled in school or college. Of these, over half were in Class 10 or below. Class 11-12 students made for 25% of the total. But only 6% attended a college.

Quality and access to education is the major concern in rural schools as there are fewer committed teachers, lack of proper textbooks and learning materials in the schools. Though Government schools exist in most of rural areas but when compared to private schools then the quality is a major issue. Most of the people living in villages have understood the importance of education and know that it is the only way to get rid of poverty. But due to the money problem they depend upon the government schools for education because private schools are expensive and they are not able to send their children to private schools. In some of the government schools there is only one teacher for the entire school and if they don’t show up at work, then it is a holiday. Some government schools in rural areas are overly packed with students, leading to a distorted teacher-student ratio. In such a situation it is impossible for teachers to pay full attention towards every student.  If the quality along the number of teachers can be improved in government schools, than aspiring rural children and India can fulfill their dreams of doing something great.

The foundation to turn  India into a strong nation has to be laid down at primary and rural levels and so the quality of education right from the beginning should be excellent. Education and textbooks should be made interesting. The reason behind so many drop outs in spite free education should be found out as this is a hurdle on the road to progress. Improvement in the condition of government schools, education quality, committed teachers and more salaries to these teachers should be a part of development.  Encourage the genuine rural students who are interested in education and make them competent. It is also absolutely mandatory to evaluate the success of the schools and students at each and every level. Timely assessment will trough light on present problems and achievements. Let us try to build a solution around these problems which will resolve the overall issues of rural education in India.