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Chapter – V

THE PRIMARY EDUCATION, ENROLMENT

AND DROPOUT IN KARNATAKA

5.1 Introduction

Retaining children who are likely to dropout from school is a

highly difficult and challenging task as the dropout is a very complex

phenomenon receiving different approaches and methods for different

kind of problems becoming the dropout situation. Though dropout of a

child from school looks it in either problem or an issue of the child per

sec or its family not eventually it becomes the problem of community

and larger society. Keeping this in view, what the child or family fail in

doing, need for to be done by the government as finally it becomes the

problem of the larger society and government becoming and being

responsible for that it has taken it as itself to do something to alleviate

the situation. An alarming dropout rate that, what arrives we used to

see in Karnataka should gradually get zeroed down with the

intervention of the state through its policy and programmes for

developing education, particularly the primary education. The

Government of Karnataka has evolved so many programmes to get

children of 5 plan years to get enrolled in nearby school and been all out

to retain their attendance for the purpose of which a score of

programmes were brought into atleast from time to time. In the

following paragraphs an attempt is made to present details about

various programmes involved and implemented by the state to reduce

the incidence of dropouts and activity of 100% programmes is

presented analytically using the data from the records of the

department and school education in the state.

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Some of the measures introduced in the recent years in Karnataka

to encourage enrolment and retention are, free education to girls

studying in classes from first to twelth standards in government

institutions and also providing free textbooks and uniforms for girls

students studying classes from 7th to 10th standards in Government

institutions. A massive mid-day meal programme, distribution of free

school bags, and providing free six note books to SC and ST girls

studying in classes 5th to 7th in government higher primary schools. The

details of the schemes targeting the out of school children in the age

group of 6 to 14 years both in urban and rural areas in Karnataka are

given in separate section. And also given are some of the details

pertaining to some of important policies of the state. Universalisation

of elementary education has been accepted as a national goal since 1950.

It has been re-inforced time and again worth for the prevailising

constitutional provisions also the Nutritional Policy on Education

(NPE) 1986 defines the universal elementary education broadly giving

equal emphasis to enrolment as well as retention of children. As the

education is an item to the state list in constitution the nation taken an

its responsibility to do something worthwhile in this connection.

Karnataka state is a pioneer in the country to introduce several

successful and innovative experiment in the field of school education.

Some of the most important of these are; Internship in D.Ed. course (the

pre-service teacher education program), Chaitanya (activity based

teaching methodology), Nali-Kali enjoy-lear, the activity based learning

program, Bahumukhi (the Multi grade Multi level teaching

methodology), Keli-Kali (the direct to class room radio broadcasts,

listen and learn programme), the Edusat Project (Direct to class room

video broadcasts through satellite media, i.e., T.V.), Shikshanadalli

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Rangakale (dramatization of techniques teaching), Chinnara Angala

(the summer bridge course for out of school children), Mahiti Sindhu

(computer education in schools), Prerana (foundation course for newly

recruited primary teachers), Training of teachers through

teleconferencing, Introduction of activity based text books in all classes,

Hosting of state text books on the web site, Akshara Dasoha (the hot

cooked mid-day meal program for government and aided school

children), Learning Guarantee Program started by Azim Premji

Foundation and later extended to the entire state by the education

department of the state, Evaluation of all children in V and VII

standards (and children of four schools per cluster in II standard) in all

government and aided primary schools in the state from 2005 – 06

under Karnataka State Quality Assessment Organization (KSQAO). X

standard Public Examination Reforms, ICT (computer education in

schools), Web based training, Yoga & value education and school

academic plan. These programmes will be taken up for their individual

considerations in term of their relevance in the context of bringing

down incidence of dropout in Karnataka later in this chapter.

Further, Karnataka state has embarked on yet another experiment

in the field of school education. The problems of the physical load of the

school bag, heavy syllabus and the increasing fear of the promotional

and public examinations among students, have been engaging the

attention of the state education department and the academicians for a

long time. In an effort to reform the present education system, the state

after considerable debate among stake holders, introduced the trimester

system in school education in classes from V to IX, while perhaps help

bring down by size and also help child to learn the subject taught

during 3 month period. Write the exam conducted at school level, leave

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that syllabi behind and proceed further to take up other part of syllabus

facilitating children do effective reading and word of fear of by hearting

and remembering all the contents in the syllabus in each for year and

annual exam.

5.2 National Policy of Education (NPE) 1986

The NPE states that up to a given level all students have equal

access to education of comparable quality, that whatever the socio-

economic background of the children, they get opportunities to achieve

success of a level, which is equal to the level of the children from

comparatively better off sections of society and the country moves pace

in the direction of a common school system. The NPE 1986 further

makes a significant shift in emphasis from enrolment to participation

and retention. The goal of NPE has been enlarged to include provision

of education of a satisfactory quality. The NPE emphasizes the fact that

all eligible children are to be covered by mainstream learning activities

and those who are not enrolled are to be covered through alternative

learning processes, which are designed to suit the needs of various

types of children.

The Program of Action (POA) developed in 1992 emphasized that

enrolment by itself is of no importance if the child does not continue

education. Hence, retention of a child in the school till elementary

education is completed assumes importance. Continuous absenteeism

and dropouts are also important issues to be addressed along with

quality education. The main goals of NPE are:

• To provide universal, free and compulsory elementary education

of good quality to all children;

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• Universal enrolment of all children including girls, disabled and

children belonging SC/ST and minority groups;

• Provision of non-formal education of school dropouts, working

children and girls who cannot attend formal schools;

• Universal access, which presupposes the availability of a primary

school within walking distance to all children;

• Universal participation, which implies that all children who join

primary stage should continue till the end of the stage and their

participation is active and regular; and

• Universal achievement, which means that all children attending

schools achieve certain Minimum Level of Learning (MLL) when

they complete primary education.

With the objective of making elementary education universal

(UEE) the MHRD Government of India set up a national working group

and all the states were requested to set up similar groups to prepare

plans for VI and VII plan periods, and accordingly, in 1978, the

government of Karnataka entrusted the responsibility for preparing a 10

year project report for UEE and formed a working group consisting of

the selected educationists. This group made several recommendations

and suggested strategies for increasing attendance, adopting the non-

formal system, improvement of quality and strengthening of

administrative control and supervision. Along with the total literacy

campaign that was already in place, efforts were made to focus on the

universalisation of primary education. The goals envisaged were;

Universal Access, Universal Enrolment, Universal Retention, Universal

Participation and Achievement.

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The state has taken several positive and important steps to

achieve the goals of UEE. Considerable progress was achieved through

implementation of several incentive schemes and national programmes

such as Operation Black Board (OBB) scheme, District Primary

Education Programme (DPEP) and Sarva Shikshana Abhiyan (SSA).

i) Karnataka Education Act 1983: Notably the Karnataka Education

Act of 1983, which received the assent of the president of India in

1993, give a directive to the state government to make primary

education compulsory in all areas after providing for adequate

number of schools and teachers. Though the Act makes it

obligatory for parents to send their children to school, judicial

pronouncements reiterate that it is the state that must provide the

necessary facilities to bring in the element of compulsion in

imparting free and compulsory education. However, the state has

not only failed to fulfill this obligation, but has also diluted the

legislation as the element of compulsion has got scaled down to

persuasion and finally brought down a mere regulation.

ii) Access and Enrolment: In the backdrop of these efforts in

Karnataka significant progress has been achieved in improving

access to schools in terms of both population and settlement. All

the settlements with a population of 100 and above have been

provided with access to primary schools within a distance of one

kilometer and the access ratio for even upper primary schools has

been universalized. The state has a policy to start a new primary

school within 1.0 Km area in the habitations where the population

is more than 100 and child population of school going children is

more than 10. In such habitations the school will be provided

within 1 km. Feeder school will be started in small and sparsely

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populated habitations or transportation facility will be provided to

nearby primary or upper primary schools. The state government

policy is that a lower primary school is provided in area of 1 km

radius, and higher primary school within every 3 km radius and

High schools in 5 Km radius. Upgradation of HPS by adding 8th

Standard class is taken up by the department of education

wherever there are no High Schools within 3 km area. As a result a

total of 4146 schools out of a target figure of 5545, have has been

upgraded so far. Under SSA the state has adopted five strategies

for achieving 100.0 percent access. These are: (i) Opening of new

Schools; (ii) Upgrading EGS centres into schools; (iii) School grant

for Government schools; (iv) Providing Teaching-learning material;

and (v) School grants to Aided primary schools. The achievement

in access is evident from rapid growth of primary schools in

Karnataka state as the details in table 5.1 below.

Table – 5.1 No. of schools and enrolment in Karnataka during 2008-09 – 2011-12

School/Enrolment 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 Lower Primary School (In Number) 26644 26254 25889

Higher Primary School (In Number) 30876 32041 33000

Enrolment Class I-V-Tatal (In Lakhs) 54.42 54.6 53.27

Boys (In Lakhs) 28.6 28.2 27.49 Girls (In Lakhs) 26.82 26.4 25.78 Enrolment Class VI-VII Total (In Lakhs) 20.28 19.97 19.87

Boys (In Lakhs) 10.48 10.33 10.27 Girls (In Lakhs) 9.8 9.64 9.6

Source: Education in Karnataka, Dept. of Public Infromation, Govt. of Karnataka, Bangalore, 2012.

194

As per the details in the table 5.1 above the enrolment

during 2011-12 in primary (class I to V) and in upper primary (class

VI to VII) stage was 53.27 lakhs and 19.87 lakhs respectively. Over

the years the enrolment has decreased marginally in the primary

stage due to decline in the growth rate of population and the

subsequent decline in School going age group. However, the state

is making continued efforts for successful completion of schooling

at class V and increasing retention at upper primary stage. The

enrolment ratio between boys and girls at primary and upper

primary stages is 52:48. Both gender parity and gender equity are

nearing unity in the State. The proportion of SC/ST children in

class I to VII in the State is 27.22 percent. Details pertaining to

social background of children in school reveal that more than 75.0

percent of these children are enrolled in schools run by the State.

iii) Pancha Soulabhya: In order enhance enrolment and retention in

schools the state government has given due attention to developing

infrastructure with an emphasis on the basic facilities in the school.

Under the national flagship programme of Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan

for universalizing elementary education, the state has accorded

special significance for the provision of infrastructure facilities such

as school buildings, additional classrooms, maintenance and

repairs of school buildings. The state has made efforts to comply

with the national norm for provision of 8 basic facilities for schools,

identified by the MHRD, comprising of Common Toilets, Girls

Toilets, Electricity, Play Ground, Ramps, Library, Compound and

Drinking water. The State government has identified 5 facilities on

top priority as most essential for schools. These are drinking water,

toilets, play grounds, compound wall and the school building

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which are considered the Pancha Soulabhya. The state has made

significant progress in this regard as details shown in the following

Table 5.2.

Table – 5.2 Infrastructure provision in Elementary schools of the state

during 2008-10

Item of Infrastructure

Year % in increase 2008-09 2009-10

Common toilet 82.95 88.01 5.06

Girls toilet 50.23 64.66 14.43

Electricity 84.44 87.55 3.11

Play ground 49.00 52.05 3.05

Ramps 52.1 64.62 12.52

Compound 68.2 59.59 -8.61

Drinking water 80.54 88.12 7.58

Library 86.44 86.97 0.53

Source: Education in Karnataka 2009-10 An Analytical Report, SSA, Gok, Dept. of Public Instruction, Bangalore, 2011.

The details in the table 5.2 above reveal some progress achieved

in providing basic infrastructure facilities provided to schools in

Karnataka. While figures are encouraging the quality of services as well

as the quantum of all such facilities on the ground would need to be

ascertained empirically.

In Karnataka, 45,648 out of a total of 58,295 elementary schools

are in the public sector under the control of the Department of

Education. About 98 percent of schools under the Department

possession have their own buildings. The remaining 2.0 percent include

those operating in rent free or rented building and schools without any

building facility. There are 1,94,838 classrooms in these elementary

schools. Number of classrooms at the elementary level of schools has

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increased from 188941 in 2008-09 to 194838 during 2009-10, indicating

an increase of 5897 classrooms. About 70.18 percent of classrooms are in

good condition while about 20.30 percent of classrooms need minor

repairs. About 9.52 percent of classrooms require major repairs.

5.3 The Dropouts in Karnataka

The major concern in primary education in India in general and

Karnataka in particular is the Out of School Children (OoSC). These

include the Drop outs and Never Enrolled children. The state conducted

a comprehensive household child census survey in December 2008,

which estimated a total of 66,26,413 children in the age group of 7 to 14

years. Out of these children, 35,637 children remained out of school,

which included 25,958 drop outs and 9679 never enrolled. The number

of OoSC as per the child census conducted since 2001 to 2008 has shown

a decreasing trend over the years as the figure 5.1 reveals. We may learn

from the details as presented in the figures 5.1 above that the

percentage has declined from 10.22 percent to 0.54 percent between

2001- 2009. The children of 6 plus (+) and below 7 years have been

mainstreamed during the enrolment drive conducted in June, 2009. It is

noticed that 43.26 per cent of total OoSC in the State hail from SC and

ST households. When the children of minority communities is added to

there it hikes this proportion to nearly 60.0 percent. Thus three out of

every five OoSC is an SC/ST or a Minority. The eight districts in the

North Eastern Karnataka region which is also known as Hyderabad

Karnataka area account for 53.52 percent of the OSC in the state. These

children are mainstreamed through various Programmes like

establishment of Feeder schools, Tent Schools, Summer Bridge Course,

12 months Bridge Course, enrolment drive etc.

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198

Table – 5.3 District wise dropout Rate for all the primary schools in Karnataka - 2011

Sl. No. Districts

Primary level Boys Girls Total

1 Bagalkot 7.31 6.63 6.99 2 Banglore Rural 0.68 0.72 0.68 3 Bangalore South 2.48 0.43 1.48 4 Belgum 8.19 8.05 8.12 5 Bellary 7.12 10.55 8.56 6 Bidar 6.06 5.34 5.70 7 Bijapur 4.25 4.73 4.48 8 Chamarajamagara 3.70 2.51 3.12 9 Chickballapur 4.18 3.54 3.86

10 Chikkamangalore 6.92 6.75 6.84 11 Chitradurga 2.22 2.06 2.14 12 Dakshina Kannada 0.01 0.01 0.1 13 Davanagere 3.33 3.16 3.25 14 Dharwad 3.92 3.61 3.77 15 Gadag 2.09 2.93 2.49 16 Gulbarga 7.37 7.34 7.35 17 Hassan 0.06 0.03 4.18 18 Haveri 2.53 2.98 2.76 19 Kdagu 1.33 1.22 1.12 20 Kolar 4.61 4.07 4.34 21 Koppal 4.35 4.75 4.55 22 Mandya 3.39 3.46 2.78 23 Mysore 1.97 1.72 1.85 24 Raichur 11.58 14.89 13.18 25 Ramanagara 2.18 3.14 2.66 26 Simoga 1.29 1.84 1.57 27 Tumkur 4.10 3.88 4.00 28 Udupi 0.86 1.02 1.88 29 Uttara Kannada 0.96 0.77 0.86 30 Yadgir 10.21 12.44 11.25

Total 4.60 4.60 4.60 Source: Education in Karnataka, Dept. of Public Instruction, Govt. of Karnataka, Bangalore, 2011.

199

Table – 5.4 Dropout rate for all upper primary schools in Karnataka, 2011 (in percent)

Sl. No.

District Upper Primary Boys Girls Total

1 Bagalkot 6.46 8.60 7.44 2 Banglore Rural 2.22 2.44 2.33 3 Bangalore South 2.48 0.43 1.48 4 Belgum 8.19 8.05 8.12 5 Bellary 17.06 14.27 15.73 6 Bidar 6.06 5.34 5.70 7 Bijapur 4.25 4.73 4.48 8 Chamarajamagara 3.70 2.51 3.12 9 Chickballapur 4.18 3.54 3.86

10 Chikkamangalore 6.92 6.75 6.84 11 Chitradurga 2.22 2.06 2.14 12 Dakshina Kannada 0.01 0.01 0.01 13 Davanagere 3.33 3.16 3.25 14 Dharwad 3.92 3.61 3.77 15 Gadag 2.09 2.93 2.49 16 Gulbarga 7.37 7.34 7.35 17 Hassan 0.69 0.03 0.04 18 Haveri 2.53 2.98 2.76 19 Kdagu 1.33 1.22 1.12 20 Kolar 4.61 4.07 4.34 21 Koppal 4.35 4.75 4.55 22 Mandya 3.39 3.46 2.78 23 Mysore 1.97 1.72 1.85 24 Raichur 11.58 14.89 13.18 25 Ramanagara 2.18 3.14 2.66 26 Simoga 1.29 1.84 1.57 27 Tumkur 4.10 3.88 4.00 28 Udupi 0.86 1.02 1.88 29 Uttara Kannada 0.96 0.77 0.86 30 Yadgir 10.21 12.44 11.25

Total 7.90 8.30 8.10 Source: Education in Karnataka, Dept. of Public Instruction, Govt. of Karnataka, Bangalore, 2011.

200

As pointed out earlier and also as the details in table 5.3 and 5.4

depict, the districts in north eastern part of Karnataka very high rate of

dropout of children from school. It is also true in case of Belgaum,

Chickmangalore and Tumkur in North-West and southern parts of the

state. Details show as the children move up from primary to higher

primary, the dropout rate also increases. Perhaps this is true in case we

proceed further to see the level of dropout in high school. Out of the

84,04,544 children in 1 to 8 standards studying in 58,289 schools in the

State under all managements. About 54,59,554 children are in 1 to 5

standards while 29,44,990 children are in 6 to 8 standards. There are

43,48,771 boys as compared to 40,55,773 girls in this 8.4 million children.

Proportion of boys to girls is 51.74 to 48.26 percent. It cannot be 50:50 as

there is an imbalance in sex-ratios everywhere. In Karnataka, it is 965 ;

that is 965 women for every 1000 men. Proportion of children in the

schools funded by the Department of Education to total enrolments is

72.20. Further it is to be noted that outside the Department of

Education, in the State sector, there is enrolment in schools of the

Department of Social Welfare, the Local Self Government, Institutions

and the KGBV schools. Enrolment in 1 to 5 standards is 54,59,554 and 1

to 8 standards in the State is 84,04,544 There is a overall decrease of

enrolments in the State between 2008-09 and 2009-10, the decrease being

82862 students in 1 to 5, and 129848 in 1 to 8 standards. This decrease is

attributed to falling rates of population growth. What needs to be

considered here is the dropout being proportionate. While it is equal

among boy and girls, it is more among girls in higher primary

education and perhaps this. Figure for this escalates at high school and

college level education. Girls are the first victims when children are to

be forced to leave of the kind better known to parents who take harsh

decision.

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202

quality education in the state. The PPU enables and facilitates quality

initiatives driven by the state policy through advising and undertaking

evidence based research. The major focus areas of the PPU include

enhancing administrative and technical capabilities, social and

community mobilization and academic and pedagogical capabilities.

Some of the key progrmmes launched by the PPU are: Management

Development Programme and Namma Shaale (Our School). It also

coordinated the preparation of School Academic Plan.

i) Innovative Teaching Learning Practices

a) Nali-Kali: The state had initiated Child-centered and Activity-

based Learning in Schools, also known as Nali-Kali (joyful

learning) in 1995 under the District Primary Education Project

on a pilot basis in order to enhance quality of learning in

schools. This was later expanded on a large scale from 2008-09

for class I & II. During the year 2010-11, this methodology is

being implemented in class I, II & III in all 45,476 government

schools. Teachers undergo six days of Nali-Kali training during

summer vacation. A minimum of 2 teachers and a Head Master

of all the schools and additional teachers depending on the

enrolment in Class

b) Computer Aided Learning Centre (CALC): About 3180

Government Higher Primary Schools have been provided with

computer and Multimedia package. Teachers are trained

through Intel & EDC in the use of computer and multi-media

teaching package to enhance quality of learning among

children. Interactive content CDs developed by EDC and APF

are being used in CALC.

203

c) Mobile Science Lab: The state has also launched Mobile Science

Lab in co-ordination with NGO to improve quality of Science

teaching and also to provide a joyful learning experience for

rural children studying in government elementary schools.

d) Radio Lessons: Radio lessons that is like Chinnara Chukki

(children star) for Class I to III, Chukki Chinna (Star child) for

Calss IV and V, Keli-Kali (Hear-learn) for Class VI to VIII are

being broadcasted daily from 13 stations of All India Radio to

all primary schools from I to VIII classes in the state. Teacher

hand book is provided which gives the schedule and activities

to be conducted by teachers before and after broadcasts.

e) Teacher Recruitment and Teacher Training: Teacher is an

important unit in the process of education, more school

education, without teacher school education goes difficult.

Karnataka state is credited with the distinction of recruiting

only qualified and trained teachers in government and aided

schools who are selected through a state level Common

Entrance Test. The state has been regularly recruiting teachers

on priority basis, both for the posts created under SSA and also

under state initiatives. Nearly 1165 elementary school teachers

and 101 teachers for class 8 were recruited during 2008-09.

About 18733 Teachers are recruited till 2009-10 under Sarva

Shikshana Abhiyan. One Science, Trained Graduate Teachers is

recruited for each of the upgraded 8th Std. Professional

development of Teachers is given highest priority under quality

initiative programme of SSA. The DSERT designs all training

modules and is imparted in cascade model at DIETs, BRCs and

CRCs through face to face as well as through tele-mode. All

newly recruited teachers undergo 30 days induction training

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soon after selection before reporting to their schools. As per the

state policy and classroom need, teachers are exposed to a wide

range of in-service training programmes both in content and

methodology besides sensitising them to positive attitudes for

the teaching profession.

ii) Learning Attainment Levels in Primary Education

Despite appreciable progress made with respect to various

quantitative parameters, the state is still confronted with the challenge

of poor learning attainment levels in government schools. This is

reflected in the data of the reports of the department of education which

are presented in table 5.5 below.

Table – 5.5 Quality learning achievement among students of class V and VII during 2007-08, 2011-12

DISE Refer Year

Class V Class VII Passed with >60% Passed with >60%

% against enrolment

% Against appeared

% against enrolment

%Against appeared

2007-08 79.50 88.08 80.48 87.13

2008-09 61.60 63.42 61.68 62.63

2009-10 64.82 66.40 64.41 65.92

2010-11 65.45 66.23 62.25 64.58

2011-12 65.88 66.28 63.47 64.58

Source: Education in Karnataka, Dept. of Public Instruction, Govt. of Karnataka, Bangalore, 2012.

The details in the above table 5.5 reveal the state of situation of

learning achievements among school children, particularly in the

government schools in the state. This being the situation the state had

to initiate some activities for quality learning. Therefore, in order to

monitor school quality and learning attainments of children in

government and government aided schools, the state set up an

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independent school assessment agency called as the Karnataka School

Quality Assessment Organisation (KSQAO) in 2005-06. The KSQAO

conducted large scale learning assessment survey of children of class 3,

5, 7 & 8 in different curricular subjects across schools in the state

between 2005-06 and 2008-09. The results of KSQAO reveal that the

overall learning achievement has been steadily increasing over the

years. However, across districts, social groups and curricular subjects,

the state reveals differences in learning achievements. As many as 16

districts, mostly from the north east backward regions in the state reveal

low performance.

According to the findings of the Annual Survey of Educational

Report (ASER), the state shows an increasing trend in learning levels

among children in primary schools from 36.8 per cent in 2005 to 60.6 in

2008. However, these attainment levels are much lower when compared

with either KSQAO or DISE report. Further, the districts of Bagalkote,

Belgaum, Dharwad, Haveri and Mysore which are at high levels of

Attainment in KSQAO and DISE report are observed in lower

attainment category in ASER report. The encouraging feature is that the

learning levels seem to be gradually improving over the years thereby

indicating that states efforts are yielding positive benefits. Nevertheless,

the low performance levels suggest that more intensive efforts are

needed to bridge disparities in quality of education across space, social

groups and curricular subjects.

5.5 New Incentives for Girls Education

The promotion of girl’s education is identified as one of the

priority goals under the SSA programme. The persisting gender

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207

i) National Programme for Education of Girls at Elementary Level

(NPEGEL): In order to achieve the improvements in girls enrolment

and retention in schools the state launched the national programme

for education of girls at elementary level (NPEGEL) in 2003-04 to

reach the most vulnerable girls who are at risk to participate and

continue education in schools. The programme has been

implemented in 61 educationally backward blocks of 18 Districts.

The scheme provides an excellent opportunity to develop context

specific strategies to address learning needs of girls and to focus on

community mobilisation and gender sensitization of teachers in an

innovative and effective manner. The total number of clusters

covered under NPEGEL during 2009-10 is 921 including 4 urban

slums. Out of these, 108 Model cluster schools are being managed by

Mahila Samakhya. Some of the innovative activities under this

programme include vocational skill training, exposure visits and

experience sharing, counselling centre for girls, Meena Programme,

coaching for Navodaya entrance examination, community

mobilization and empowerment of girls.

ii) Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya: The government of Karnataka

has started Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya in different areas of

the state. Under this national flagship scheme, the state has set up 64

residential schools in 58 educationally backward blocks with

boarding facilities at upper primary level for out of school girls

belonging predominantly to the SC, ST, OBC and minorities in

difficult areas. The objective is to ensure access and quality

education to girls belonging to socially and economically

disadvantaged groups of society. The scheme implemented under

the SSA aims at promoting access and to facilitate retention of girls

and to ensure greater participation of women and girl children in the

208

field of education. It also promotes quality education for girls

through various interventions which are relevant for their

empowerment. All the KGBVs are operational with 100 intake

capacity from the academic year 2010-11. Of the 64 KGBVs, 29 are

managed by Mahila Samakhya. The KGBV school environment has

brought about a noticeable change in the lives and personality of

girls from marginalized groups, who have developed greater self

confidence, clean and hygienic habits and communication as well as

social skills. Thus, KGBV is emerging as an important intervention of

gender empowerment as many of the girls from the most

disadvantaged sections of the society have been able to participate in

public events without inhibition and achieve recognition for the

excellent showcasing of their talents.

iii) Innovative Activity for Girls Education (Jagruthi Shibhira): The state

has also been conducting a three day awareness camp – “jagruthi

shibira” for the adolescent girls under innovative activity for girls

with the aim of preventing the adolescent girls from dropping out of

education system as well as to provide orientation on health,

hygiene and menstruation related problems and to boost their self

esteem and confidence. During the year 2008-09, about 52,000

adolescent girls were trained under this program and Rs.159.5 lakh

was spent. During 2009-10, about 53,000 girls trained with a

budgetary expenditure of Rs.158.9 lakh. During the year 2010-11, a

module named Kishori (girl) has been developed for training the

adolescent girls and a Manual Kelu Kishori (listen girl) has also been

developed (Education in Karnataka, 2011). Besides, one teacher from

each Higher Primary School is being trained on how to train or

counsel adolescent girls on their health related and other issues.

209

5.6 Programmes for Development of Primary Education in Karnataka

The significant achievements in the field of primary education

during 2000-2010 are made possible through the effective

implementation of a flagship programme Sarva Shikshana Abhiyana

(SSA).

i) Sarva Shiksha Abhiyana (SSA)

The SSA a centrally sponsored flagship programme of

Government of India is continued during the year with the fund

sharing pattern of (centre) 65:35 (State). Being a time bound

programme, it attempts to implement all programmes of

Universalisation of Elementary Education with a major focus on

equality, regional parity and quality. The funds allocated for SSA in the

central and State has been steadily increasing as details are presented in

table 5.6.

Table – 5.6 Financial progress under SSA in Karnataka during 2005-06 – 2010-11

Year AWP & B Release of grants

(Rs.in lakh) Expenditure (Rs.in lakh) Central State

2005-06 44830.17 29887.95 13926.35 35461.99

2006-07 75868.75 54206.99 15741.07 53495.81

2007-08 69745.00 40604.79 24511.51 74339.94

2008-09 96042.74 51578.23 35381.30 86815.68

2009-10 96104.08 44220.60 23567.49 68822.19

2010-11 128730.59 56903.00 31123.73 69034.79

Source: Education in Karnataka, Dept. of Public Instruction, Govt. of Karnataka, Bangalore, 2011.

As details in the above table 5.6 reveal the SSA is getting

strengthened from year to year and is being implemented in complete

210

harmony with the Department of Education. It seeks to provide quality

elementary education including life skills to all children with a special

focus on socially deprived children, girls and children with special

needs. The SSA is an integrated Programme that includes development

of all components of primary education such as Access, enrolment,

retention, infrastructure, provision of teachers and their capacity

building for quality education, special provision for Girls education etc.

The various programmes presented below strengthen these facts.

ii) Rashtriya Madhyamika Shikshana Abhiyan (RMSA)

RMSA project has been implemented in the state from 2009-10

with the following objectives.

Access of secondary school within a radius of 5km in all

habitations except those in special circumstances Up gradation of

upper primary schools in to secondary schools with all

infrastructure facilities by 2012

Strengthening of existing secondary schools with all

infrastructure facilities by 2014

All schools will have space and facilities according to prescribed

norms of minimum quality standards like

One classroom for every 30 students;

Laboratory and Library in all the Schools

Easy Access to differently abled Children

Separate Toilets for girls

Computer and other ICT facilities in all secondary schools

RMSA will have sharing of funds both from Central and State

governments. The central share during 11th five year plan would be

75% and state share would be 25% for\ RMSA and Model schools. After

211

11th five year plan the sharing would be 50:50. For girls hostels the

share is 90:10 in the 11th five year plan and 100.0 per cent central share

in incentives for girls for higher education.

Some of the activities taken up under RMSA include:

• Upgradation of Schools to improve the Access

• Strengthening of existing high schools to improve enrolment,

Retention and achievement

• School grants to improve the quality of school infrastructure.

• Minor repair grants to make schools attractive and to create

learning atmosphere

• In service teacher training for empowerment of teachers

• Management ,Monitoring, Research and Evaluation to improve

the quality

• Incentives to 9th standard SC,ST girl children to improve

enrolment, retention and achievement

• Model Schools & Girls Hostel Secondary education has received

focused attention of the Government in recent years. With

significant gains in primary education, the present requirement is

to strengthen Secondary education by providing access,

infrastructure and quality education. There is a need to increase

State participation in secondary education to improve access and

attain equality.

iii) Education of SC/ST & Minority Children

Every District is provided with Rs. 15 lakhs under innovative

activity for SC&ST children. The same is utilised to execute educational

Tour program within the district called Chinnara Zilla Darshana

covering 86500 children in the year 2009-10. In the year 2010-11 the

212

program is extended to cover the other left out children. A total of 90000

children benefited from the same. For addressing issues relating to

education of minority children, the state has implemented awareness

Programme for Religious and Community Leaders, parents of Muslim

Minority children, seminar in Literary and Science for minority children

and Urdu teachers, and field visits in all the 202 blocks. The success of

this awareness programme was demonstrated, when 36 dropout girls

from minority households were brought back to schools in Dharwad

District. An assessment of trends in bridging the gaps in enrolment,

retention and learning achievement of S.C/S.T and Minority children

indicates that there has been slight improvement between 2008-09 and

2009-10. DSERT has prepared Bimbha I and Bimbha II gender training

modules to sensitize teachers towards existing social and gender

discrimination. 3025 teachers were given this training in the year 2009-

10 (Education in Karnataka, 2010).

iv) Deprived Children in Urban Areas

The state has made provision for opening Transit Homes for 200

orphan children in Bangalore city with NGO intervention; Periodical

survey for identifying OOSC; Incentives for urban deprived children

@Rs.2000 per child per annum and for conducting adolescent camps for

urban deprived girls.

v) Children with Special Needs (CWSN):

Within the framework of national policy of inclusive education,

the state has undertaken initiatives under SSA for the education of

children who are differently abled. NGOs are involved in planning,

training, Home based education, medical rehabilitation and in

organizing awareness programmes. The state has so far identified

1,35,301 CWSN through medical camps, out of whom 1,21,153 are

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enrolled in regular schools and the remaining 14,148 have been

provided home based education (HBE). 6540 HBE volunteers are

appointed, who undergo 4 days of training. Awareness programmes

and counseling services are imparted to parents of CWSN. 99,208

teachers have received 3 to 5 days training; 15230 children were

provided assistive device. Ramps have been built in 27,302 schools

(60.07%). 202 Resource Rooms are established for special training of

teachers and CWSN children

vi) Free Education for Girls:

To reduce the rate of dropout and to encourage girls’ education, the government has been providing girls with free education. Female students from I to VII standard are exempted from paying all fees, including examination fees, in government schools. Further, the state introduced the free text books scheme in 1985-86 for SC/ST students studying in government schools in V to VII standards. In 1993-94 this scheme was made available to all students studying in government schools in I to IV standards. In 2000-2001, it was extended to all categories of students studying in government schools from I to VII standards. In the same year, the scheme included all girls studying in government high schools in VIII, IX and X standards. In 2004-05 it was extended to cover all SC/ST boys studying in VIII standards in government schools. Nearly 278 lakhs free text books were distributed to about 66% children who were beneficiaries of the programme in 2005-06. The programme continued further in 2006-07 extending it to all girls and SC/ST boys studying in government aided schools, and all boys in government high schools.

The state government provides free text books to all the children of Class I to VIII. All the girls and SC/ST boys studying in Aided institution from class I to VIII have receive free text books under the SSA.

214

5.7 State Government Initiatives

The government of Karnataka has initiated certain schemes on its

own for the purpose of enhancing access and enrolment situation for

the school going children, and to prevent dropout incidents as far as

possible. Here in this section, some of such programmes of the state are

presented to indicate as to how government has been working

relentlessly to make “education for all children” a reality.

i) Free Uniforms, Text Books and School Bags

Poverty and economic deprivation are those factors that are

responsible for children’s non-participation in school. Those factors

demand special governmental interventions to promote better

participation of such children. Increased access to the schooling facility

has increased number of children from even lower income families.

Their retention in schools until compulsory stage depends upon

effective programmes like mid day meal scheme, free supply of school

uniform, text books, regular health check up etc,.

All children studying in class I to X from government and aided

schools are given text books free of cost. In addition, all children

studying in government schools in classes I to VII and girl students

studying in classes VIII to X are provided with free uniforms. This has

been extended to all students of I to X std. from 2006-07. During the

year 2010-11, the number of children who had received free text books

was 57.19 lakh in primary and 14.95 lakh in secondary schools. The

number of students receiving free uniforms was 46.0 lakh in primary

and 11.02 lakh in high schools during the same period. The number of

students receiving free School Bags is 11.58 lakh in primary schools

during 2010-11 (Education in Karnataka, 2011).

215

Community is the context in which school is located where

children of the community go for education school should function in

isolation. The community should involve itself through its

representatives in the functioning aspects of the school. Realizing this

fact the state has constituted School Development and Monitoring

Committee at Gram Panchayat level in 2001 for developing and

monitoring school activities. The SDMCs are the subcommittees of Civic

Amenities committees (CAC), which are sub-committees of Grama

Panchayat. SDMCs are constituted out of the parents' council of the

school. They are accountable to Gram Panchayats. The funds relating to

teacher grant, school grant, school maintenance grant (major repairs)

civil works (basic infrastructure like class rooms, provision of drinking

water and toilet facilities, compound wall) are sent directly to SDMCs.

The SDMC and CAC members undergo regular training for monitoring

school developmental activities. Three training modules, known as

Spandana, Sankalpa and Samakshama have been prepared for SDMC-

CAC training.

ii) Mid-Day Meal Programme

A massive mid day meal programme covering all children

studying in Government and Aided primary schools in classes I to X is

implemented in the State from 2007-08, objective to improve attendance,

reduce drop out, improve the nutrition levels of children and enhance

their learning attainments. A total of 64.26 lakhs of children in

government and aided schools were the beneficiaries of the scheme

during 2010-11. This scheme is operated by the state with partial grants

received from government of India. In the year 2010-11, the central

government contribution was Rs. 11662.70 lakhs while government of

Karnataka contributed Rs. 21892.64 lakhs.

216

iii) Baa Marali Shaalege( Come back to school campaign)

In order to celebrate the 2002 Karnataka Rajyotsava Day in a

meaningful manner, the department of education mounted a massive

campaign of getting children, who had dropped out of school for

various reasons, back into the school. The main objectives of this

campaign were:

• To enroll all children in the age group 6-14 and get them to attend

school through intensive door-to-door campaigns though the

state.

• To bring back to schoolchildren who have been absent for too

long.

• To provide bridge courses and remedial teaching to the returning

children so as to make their re-entry as smooth as possible.

• To place the children ready for mainstream schooling in regular

classes suitable for them.

By the end of 2002, the campaign had succeeded in bringing back

to school over 220,000 children, about 50% of them being girls. The

effort and the response in the educationally backward districts of NEK

were particularly impressive, contributing nearly 50% of the figures for

the entire state. Raichur and Koppal Districts were right at the top of

the list, accounting for 28,000 and 23,000 children respectively.

The success of the “Baa Marali Shalege” stimulated the

department to undertake other campaigns with similar goals and

objectives to bring down the huge number of children staying out of

school.

217

iv) Samudayadatta Shale

The government has launched ‘Samudayadatta Shale’ (School

approaching the community) programme to bring the schools closer to

the community and to create a sense of ownership and responsibility

towards the schools.

Under this programme each month, the Hon'ble Education

Minister, Education Secretary, the Education Commissioner, all officers

of the department teachers of high school and primary school halt in

villages and hold discussions. They also interact with the community

and parents in order to create awareness on education matters and

issues, so as to improve the quality of education, admit children and

provide basic facilities to the schools. This programme was started in

November 2000. It is very effective in mobilizing community and

bringing awareness about quality education and demand for equity

education.

v) School Adoption Programme

It is difficult for the government alone to provide all basic

necessities to the schools, given resource constraints and limitations.

Hence, in order to improve both the infrastructure and the quality of

teaching in government schools, the “School Adoption Program” was

launched. This was well received in many quarters. Many companies,

corporate entities and individuals have come forward to adopt and

improve the facilities in government schools. So far, individuals, NGOs

and other undertakings have adopted more than 9226 schools and Rs.

200 crores has been mobilized under this program.

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vi) Chinnar Angala – A Bridge Course to the Mainstream

The “Chinnar Angala” is an innovative summer bridge course

programme aimed at brining out-of-school children back to schools. A

regular schoolteachers and a Para- teacher appointed from amongst the

village youth teach the children.

An intensive, condensed from of the curriculum is taught, at the

end of which regular classes. The duration of the intervention was

initially proposed to be 60 days. Later, it was decided that it would

continue till all children were enrolled into formal school.

The programme was first implemented in the state in April/May

2000. Stated an a pilot basis in 10 education blocks, 3,100 out-of-school

children were enrolled in the course, with as many as 2600 from

amongst them being mainstreamed into formal schools.

The children census of 2001 revealed that there were 10.53lakh

out-of-school children in the age group of 6-14 years in the state.

Hence, the “Chinnara Angala” programme was extended to the entire

state in 2001-02 and at the end of it, nearly 82,708 children had been

main streamed against a target of one lakh children. In

October/November of that year, the programme was again held in the

seven educationally backward districts of NEK and 22244 children were

mainstreamed.

During 2003, over 4800 “Chinnara Angala” centers were opened

so as to generate school preparedness among 407,000 out-of-school

children. 107000 children, including 50,000 children labours, were

mainstreamed. Among the NGOs the Akshara foundation has been

very active in running this programme in Bangalore. All the existing

194 “Chinnara Angala” learning centers reaching out to 4600 children in

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the city have been coordinated by the foundation with the help of other

NGOs like MAYA, Mobility India, APSA, REDS and Rastrothan

Parishat (Education Karnataka, 2011).

Akshara, in collaboration with Madyam another NGO, has

launched a 100% enrolment campaign in 30 slums in Bangalore city.

Along with the field publicity office of the Ministry of Information and

Broadcasting they conducted awareness programmes on “Chinnara

Angala” in another 35 slums in Bangalore.

The drawback in this programme was that in several cases, the

mainstreamed children were unable to cope with the work load of the

regular school and slowly dropped out. The programme did not make

any efforts to track these children. There was not external assessment of

this programme to find out its impact.

vii) Vidya Chetan – An alternate School

“Vidya Cheta”, started only in northeastern Karnataka was an

alternative school for those children who were not in schools even after

the “Chinnar Angala” intervention. The location of a “Vidya Chetana”

center was selected keeping in mind the students convenience. The

timings for teaching were flexible to suit the child. Classroom

transaction started with books prepared specially for the “Chinnara

Angala”. Once children mustered this, they were tested and given

regular books prescribed by the department according to their level of

achievement. They were also provided with notebooks, pencils, and

pens, instrument boxes and textbooks. All the end of the year, the child

had the option of choosing between joining regular school or continuing

further in the “Vidya Chetan” centre. With the advent of SSA, this

programme was discontinued.

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viii) Mid-day Meals Programmes

The Midday meal programme was in existence in the princely

Mysore State in as earles as 1946. In 1951-52, the department had

sanctioned Rs.3.70 Lakhs for the midday lunch programme. Under this

scheme, 9366 children in 1957 middle schools and 25 high schools were

covered. The main objective of the programme was to provide

nutritious food to children coming from poor and weaker sections apart

from improving their attendance.

A universal midday meal programme was started in the state in

1963 in selected blocks, with assistance from CARE (Co-operative for

American Relief Every Where). The coverage reached a peak of 15 lakh

children in 1976-77, when the central kitchen scheme was introduced.

The program supported both pre primary educations till 1984-85, when

CARE assistance to pre primary education was discontinued. CARE

assistance was finally wound up in 1993-94. MDM Scheme was

implemented in educationally and economically backward North

Eastern districts of the state during 2002-03. Later on the scheme was

extended to other 20 districts of the state under the title Akshara

Dasoha during 2003-04 in a phased manner. As per the directions of the

Hon’ble Supreme Court the scheme of providing hot cooked meal is

implemented for all the children of classes 1 to 5 of both Government

and Government aided primary schools. The scheme of providing free

food grants @ 3 k.g / child / month to children of class 1 to 5 of

Government aided schools on the basis of 80% of attendance in a month

under NP-NSPE is continued during 2002-03 and 2003- 04.The

Programme was extended to VI and VII standards in

Government/Government Aided Schools in the State w.e.f 01-10-2004

and the programme of providing hot cooked meal trasfererred to Zilla

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Panchayat w.e.f 01.04.2005. The programme is extended to students of

8th standard studying in upgraded primary schools and students of 8 to

10 standard of Govt and Aided High Schools w.e.f 01-06-2007

(Education in Karnataka, 2011).

ix) Energy Food and Ahara Yojana

The State Government introduced its own scheme called “Energy

Food” program in 1980-81 on the basis of a nutrition formula developed

by the CFTRI, Mysore 5.62 lakh children benefited from this program in

1990-91. In 1993-94, the State Government introduced the Ahara Yojana

for all children studying in I-IV standards. It continued till mid August

1995 when it was merged with the GOI sponsored National Programme

of Nutritional support to primary education in 1995.

x) Nutritional Support Programme

In order to improve the nutritional condition of children and

motivate them to attend school, the nutritional support programme was

introduced by the state government through this program; the state

government started distribution of 3kg of wheat or rice per child per

month (though the fair price shops). The food grains were given to all

children studying in I to V standards in government and aided primary

schools, subject to the children maintaining an average 80% attendance

per month. The entire cost of the scheme was borne by GOI.

xi) The Akshaya Programme

The scheme, introduced in 1991-92, ws meant for ensuring

attendance and reducing drop-outs among children of I to V standards.

If a child had a minimum of 80% attendance during the month, then the

parent was to be paid at the rate of Rs.1/- per child per school working

222

day. However, the scheme was dropped as there were logistical

problems in accounting, auditing and fellow-up work.

xii) The Akshara Dasoha Programme

The programme of providing hot cooked midday meal was

introduced in 7 Northeastern revenue districts of the state during 2002-

03. Looking into the merits the scheme was extended to the remining 20

revenue districts during 2003-04 under “Akshara Dashoha”. The

scheme was further extended to cover children of I to V standards in

government aided schools with effect from 1 September 2004 and

students of VI and VII standards of all government and aided schools in

the state from 1 April 2005. A total of 43,414 government schools and

2830 government aided schools (total 46244 elementary schools) were

covered under this programme. There were 38,926 kitchen centers and

96064 cooks in 2005-06. The beneficiaries of the scheme run in several

lakhs, i.e., about 56.04 lakh students from I to VII standards throughout

Karnataka state.

The budget allocation for this programme in 2011-12 was Rs.

258.84 crores. The Central Government provides 100 grams of

rice/wheat and conversion charges of Rs.1.50 child per day where as

the state government spends about Rs.3.16 per student per day. In 2010-

11, the state budget allocation was Rs. 253.47 crores. Rs. 26 crores were

released for construction of kitchen centers at the rate of Rs.5000/- per

centre. About Rs.72 crores was given by the central government

towards equipments and Rs.33.46 crores towards construction of

kitchen centers. The Government departments like, the Revenue, Rural

Development, Health and women and child development take active

role in implementing the programme. The members of the GP and

SDMC monitor the scheme at the school level.

223

The programme has been complemented with the following objectives:

• To improve enrolment and attendance in elementary schools.

• To improve retention.

• To improve health of the children by increasing nutrition levels.

• To improve learning level of children.

Hot cooked midday meals are provided for 244 days in a year 53

NGOs (including Akshaya Patra Foundation) and meets have been

participating actively and adding value to the existing government

programme. In 2005-06, these NGOs covered 2012 primary schools and

4.71 lakh children. In 2004-05 and 2005-06 the government covered

children of drought hit taluks under the hot cooked midday meal

scheme during summer holidays also.

Preliminary findings, indicating a significant improvement in the

enrolment, attendance and retention of children in schools as a result of

the successful implementation of this massive programme, are as under:

• 2 to 10% improvement of attendance across the state;

• Children are more attentive inside and outside the classroom;

• Nearly a lakh women have been given part time employment as

cooks;

• Coordination between various field departments and voluntary

organizations; and

• The programme also helps in achieving social and educational

equity at the field level.

The government has extended the programme to cover all

children studying in government and aided secondary schools in the

state from the academic year 2007-08.

224

xiii) Akshaya Patra

With the dedicated purpose of liberating poor children from the

vicious cycle of hunger and illiteracy, the Akshaya Patra Foundation

under the age is of International Society for Krishna Consciousness

(ISKCON) came into being in the year 2000 and has since been

providing free, nutrition rich midday meals to thousands of

underprivileged children in and around Bangalore. With a humble

beginning of feeding 1500 under served children in Bangalore, the

programme has grown to reach half a million children in 5 states across

India. The programmes utilizes the food grains as well as the

conversion charge provided by the government. One of the most

important social initiatives in India, the Akshaya Patra Midday Meals

Programme has documented the benefits such as :

• Protecting children from hunger and improving their nutrition;

• Increasing school enrolment, attendance and school performance;

• Improving socialization among children – the experience of

sitting together and sharing a meal irrespective of caste, gender

and status is a social leveler; and

• Empowering the girl child in particular.

In Bangalore, the hot cooked midday meals are supplied to 1.45

lakh children studying in 533 government aided and corporation

schools. In collaboration with the BBMP, the programme also offers

free meals to 1507 pregnant and nursing women from the marginalized

sections of society. The programme status in the state as in 2010-11 was;

225

Table – 5.7 Beneficiaries of Akshaya Patra Scheme in Karnataka,

2010-11

Location No. of Children No. of Schools

Bangalore 1,45,000 533

Hubli-Dharwad 1,54,510 647

Bellary 32,590 89

Mangalore 10,500, 51

Mysore 6,100 19

Total 3,48,700 1339

Source: ISKCON- Akshaya Patra Foundation, Bangalore, 2011.

Besides, the Akshya Patra Programme has initiated the concept of

mechanization of its kitchens which is worthy of emulation by other

NGOs as well as the institutional establishments in schools across the

state. The mechanized kitchen in Hubli-Dharwar is based on the

principle of gravity. It has potentially increased operational efficiency

of the Kitchen. It also complies with ISO 2200 standards which meet the

highest standards of hygiene and cleanliness. The foundation is

continuously making improvements in the infrastructure, bringing

about quality control measures and raising funds for the massive

programme.

xiv) Coolieyinda Shalege Programme – (From Labour to School)

Community children in the age group of 6 to14 are found

employed in places such as factories, shops, households, hotels,

garages, etc. mainly to supplement income of their parents for their

livelihood. The “Coolieyind shalege” programme has been launched to

bring these children to the school fold from their work places. In this

programme parents and employers of the children are warned citing

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the provision of the prevention of child labour Act. Awareness has

been created among them regarding importance of education. This has

helped to bring the children into the school fold. This programme is

being implemented with the co-ordination of the other departments like

police, women and Child Development, Social Welfare and Labour

Department. This campaign is to liberate such working children from

the bondage of labour Handouts and posters have been made with the

appeal of Hon’ble Chief Minister of Karnataka to bring these children

to the school fold. Advisement and T.V jingles and street plays are put

up suitably to create awareness among the parents and society in co-

ordination with NGOs in the state.

xv) Flexi School

Eight flexi schools have been started in Bangalore (Urban and

City). These schools were started with the working children in view of

those who cannot attend the formal school due to their time frame in

the workplace. There schools are running from 8.00 am to 8.00 pm, so

that the working children can attend classes and learn their lessons at

the hours convenient to them. Hence the name “Flexi Schools”. These

schools which are not permanent formal schools, aim at infusing

confidence and strengthening their learning activities and thus helping

these children to knowledge and thus helping these children to bridge

with the formal school without any difficulty. Till data, 280 children are

admitted to these schools. Several NGOs are also cooperating to these

schools including the Akshara Foundation and also The Center for

Working Children, Bangalore, who have joined in the effort of these

schools. Departments such as, the labour, the social welfare and the

department of minority in addition to several voluntary organizations

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are cooperating with the education department of the state

Government.

xvi) Mobile Schools

These schools were started in 2001-02 to give education to slum

dwelling children and children of construction workers, especially in

the city areas. At present eight mobile schools are working in Bangalore

city. These mobile schools collect children from the slums in and

around the city and take them in a bus to a good environment where

their teachers will teach them. The inside of the bus is modified into a

classroom. Learning levels will be improved and interest will be

created in these schools. After achieving the minimum level of learning

these children are admitted to formal schools. The Karnataka State

Road Transport Corporation has donated eight buses for this purpose.

The State Government provides free uniform, free textbooks and mid-

day meals to these children. In 2011-12, there were 12 mobile schools.

Nearly 500 children are mainstreamed every year through the mobile

school. These schools were initiated by the state government of

Karnataka with the objectives of;

a) Providing basic education to children from the slums and

children of building construction workers in a pleasant

atmosphere; and

b) Bringing these children to mainstream schooling and promoting

the habit of going to school. The schools timings are maintained

between 8.30 am and 2.30 pm. The government of Karnataka

provided Rs. 25 lakhs have been allocated towards maintenance

of mobile schools for the year 2011-12. Nearly 475 to 526 drop

outs are being mainstreamed through these schools.

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xvii) Beediyinda Shalege (From street to school)

For the children who are in the street in the age of group of 5-14

and are being out of the portals of school education, the education

department in Karnataka prepared some innovative programmes to

bring them into the school fold with some selected NGOs Co-

ordination. As per the survey of street children conducted by the

Bangalore city Forum for Street and Working Children, there are 12284

street children who were out of schools. To address these children a

provision was made in the Annual Work Plan of 2004-05 to imitate

activities to bring them to school.

xviii) Baa Bale Shalege (Bringing the Girl child to school)

Baa Bale Shalege is yet another special initiative to bridge the

gender gap. The main strategies adopted under this campaign are,

• to make women officials of the Education Department motivate

themselves to adopt an educational block each and evince special

interest in the education of girls in that block.

• To make the women officials adopting a block to meet women

teachers in the particular block and motivate them to achieve the

aims achieve the aims of this programme voluntarily.

• To make all voluntary organizations such as stree-shakti/Self-

Help groups, Mahila/Yuvathi Mandals and women

representative to evince interest and take responsibility for the

tasks.

xix) Samudayadatta Shale (School with community Initiative)

Every year in the beginning of the academic year the Department

of Ecucaiton undertakes enrolment drive for active participation of

people for 100 per cent enrolment in the age group of 6-14 years. This is

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one kind of an effort to bring back drop-out children to schools and all

efforts are made to see that they continue their studies.

The Samudayadatta Shale programme stated in November 2000,

which tries to take the school towards community. It is held twice a

year where parents are made aware of the achievements of their

children. The programme is capped by cultural activities of children.

All officers including Education Secretary Commissioners and

Directors Participate in the program by visiting schools on this day and

participate in the activities of the schools. This programme tries to

create awareness in the community about the school and achievements

of their children, and helps to bring back the dropout children and non

enrolled children.

xx) Integrated Education for Disabled Children (IEDC)

The disabled children are more likely to dropout of school as they

cannot cope with curricular and co-curricular activities, besides

reaching upto school every day. A special attention has to be given to

their learning needs for which there have been prescription under the

Sarva Shiksha Abhiyaan, besides what the governments have been

traditionally doing to render justice to the disabled children.

IEDC is considered an important component in UEE Integrated

education, in its simplest form, is providing education to disabled

children along with normal children in normal schools with the

assistance of specially trained teachers. In this context, the IEDC helps

in identifying such children and integrating them in the regular school

system so as to facilitate their learning. During 2011-12, a total number

of 98,600 special children were identified under SSA.

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Table – 5.8 Special children identified in Karnataka, 2011-12

Visually impaired 12968

Hearing and Speech Impaired 20387

Mentally & Retarded 13808

Physically Handicapped 25441

Learning Disability Children 3788

Other 5508

Total 81900

Source: Education in Karnataka, Dept. of Public Instruction, Govt. of Karnataka, Bangalore, 2012.

A financial provision of Rs. 1200/- per child is available under

SSA In 2011-12, 129491 children with special needs were identified and

117401 children were enrolled in schools, and 10327 severally disabled

children were provided home based education.

The IEDC scheme is being implemented by the directorate of

Urdu and Minorities since August 2004 through the DIETS. The

scheme is implemented by 117 NGOs and covers 34706 disabled

children studying in 6188 schools with 1931 resource teachers. The

purpose of the scheme is to provide educational opportunities for

disabled children in common schools and enable them to face life with

courage and confidence. The budget for this scheme was Rs.1010.23

lakhs in 2011-12 (Education in Karnataka, 2012).

As there are special need children the state provides a number of

incentives like allowances for books, stationery, uniforms, transport,

readers, hostel facilities, escort, equipment etc.

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xxi) Kala Jatha

Kala Jathas spelled out the importance of UEE with special focus

on the girl child. The Kala Jatha teams formed at the district level

performed in the targeted villages and motivated the communities to

send their girl children to schools.The initial focus on girl child

enrolment gradually attained the dimension of universal retention and

universal achievement. The regular enrolment drives also campaigned

against child labour. “Malka” was a social film which established the

importance of girls education and highlighted the mother’s role in

determining the prospects of the girl child. The film was selectively

screened during campaigns and teacher training programmes.

The foregoing presentation of the details pertain to the realities of

primary education in Karnataka in terms of access, enrolment and

dropouts, and also the role of the state to follow some efforts to improve

the situation through implementation of certain schemes and

programmes through which the enrolment increased and dropout rate

is brought down to the fullest possible levels. The details reveal that the

state government has already made and been making newer initiatives

as well as efforts to address the situation. Karnataka being

geographically big and socially, economically and culturally diverse not

one single programme would yield the expected results; maximum

enrolments and zeroing down dropout rates. Education, though it is

the responsibility it also becomes the obligation of central government

whatever resources it has to its credit, constitutionally it also becomes

the obligation of central government to meet educational needs of the

people in the entire country in association with the state governments.

Providing the universal elementary education in the country in

constitutional obligation to state. State shall make all the arrangements

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and provide facilities to its citizens for meeting their educational

requirements. From buildings to books and uniformed and access to

retention, state has been able to do its best within the available

resources. The governments have been able to do so much as the

statistical details pertaining to the programmes evolved, expenditures

increased, goals/targets achieved and the benefits reaching the success

of them and at large the society as they are depicted in the foregoing

sections.

Despite its best of the efforts what state has been able to do to

minimize dropouts to ‘zero’ level, it has not been possible on the details

about dropouts are presented for each of districts and for both boys and

girls. The dropouts continue unabated, when we look at this trend we

need to simply understand one thing that the boy or girl concerned and

his or her family became very important in the process of minimizing

the dropouts. The reasons for dropout are varying. The dropout vary

from time to time and place to place. For the reason of these things, to

evolve an uniform scheme and programme of one kind to achieve the

goal is difficult. That is why it needs a multitudinal approach and a

multidude of programmes to keep check the problem the solutions need

to be situational. For this reasons the state has to keep working out a

scheme after scheme and programme after programme to keep its tab

since the dropout situation becomes eternal and unsustainable unless it

is made compulsory on part of parents to send their wards to school

and meet their all expenses of sundry nature. The role of person

concerned, family to which he or she belongs and the community the

context in which family is situated matter considerably in combating

the problem of dropout by evolving solution to the problem on their

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own while the state puts up its efforts further and keeps going with

meeting its obligations towards its citizens, community and society.

In the next three chapters, VI, VII and VIII an attempt is made to

present the views of the dropouts family and community leaders from

whom the details have been collected as part of the empirical study on

the problem of dropout conducted in Bijapur district taking one taluk

called Indi which comprises two education blocks in its jurisdiction. In

Chapter VI, the dropout respondents by the responses to various

queries on the causes of dropout, the decision of dropout by oneself and

how the dropout looks the whole situation lending the kind of problem

are analytically presented.