HOW can we have Quality Education for All?

How can we provide

QUALITY EDUCATION

for ALL?

The Analysis

Sep

5, 2

014

Quality Education The AnalysisWhy Quality?Indians who go to reasonable quality private schools in cities may not comprehend how bad education can be in many government and small private schools, especially in rural India. While the frustration in good private schools may be with not creating an inquisitive mind, a bad government or small private school may not even teach a student to read and write her name!"!

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We would like to point out that as 2 out of 3 kids in India go to government schools it is vital that we improve the education outcomes of these schools.

Quality Education The AnalysisWhy Education?

Education is important because it’s impact is…

ECONOMIC"India’s large population is an advantage only if per person productivity increases rapidly. This can only go up when people shift to skill and knowledge intensive jobs from labour intensive jobs.

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And in the future ‘Knowledge Economy’, the inadequately educated will be at a serious risk of marginalisation.

SOCIAL"Education brings awareness of basic rights and duties, and empowers people with logical reasoning to break myths, superstitions and caste / class boundaries.

Quality Education The AnalysisWhere we are?

Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA): Annually conducted survey to evaluate education systems worldwide, by the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) Secretariat. "The survey is based on two-hour tests that half a million students are put through.

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/education/news/Indian-students-rank-2nd-last-in-global-test/articleshow/11492508.cms

India ranked 72 among 73 countries, participating in PISA

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/topic/OECD


Only 40% Standard 3 students could read Standard 1 level paragraph

ABC ABC ABC ABC

Class III

Only 26% Standard 3 students could subtract

A-B=CA-B=C

Source: 9th Annual Survey Education Report

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A-B=C


Only 47% Standard 5 students could read Standard 2 level paragraph

ABC ABC ABC ABC ABC

Class V

Only 25% Standard 5 students could do a 3 digit by 2 digit division

A/B=C A/B=C ?

Source: 9th Annual Survey Education Report

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A/B=C


with over 80% score

Source: NCERT, 2013

4%

10%

2%

2%

After 8 years of attending school, Percentage of students

Mathematics

Science

Language

Social Science


Source: NCERT, 2013

Clearly, this is not where we want to be!

Mathematics: 55%

Science: 53%

Language: 23%

Social Science: 37%

4%

10%

2%

2%

After 8 years of attending school, Percentage of students with less than 40% score

Quality Education The AnalysisWhy are we here?

Our Education Policy is not driven by outcomes. The government targets inputs such as how many students regularly go to school, whether mid-day meals are provided, whether there are toilets for girls - but not outcomes. Inputs are important BUT one can easily have situations where all prescribed inputs are met but the outcomes are still abysmal.

Quality Education The AnalysisInputs? Outcomes?

Strong Bowlers,!Skilful Batsmen

But the Team rarely wins!the matches it plays!

The scenario is like a Cricket Team being provided with the best inputs:

Acceptable?

Very Highly!Paid Coaches

Best Training!Facilities

Quality Education The AnalysisInput Obsession

A recent study tracked learning outcomes against Pupil Teacher Ratios. !

It found that the best outcomes were when the PTR was around 20. !

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However, even at this optimal level only 27% of schools were achieving desired outcomes. !

Clearly, just focusing on inputs is not enough.

a=b and b=c so, a=c

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Source: http://www.azimpremjifoundation.org/pdf/Criticality%20of%20Pupil%20Teacher%20Ratio.pdf

Quality Education The Analysis

Mid day meals"!

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were started to reduce the burden on underprivileged parents.

Toilets for girls"!

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were prioritised in primary schools to reduce the discomfort for girl students.

Input Obsession

These were components when the larger goal was better student enrolment, and they succeeded. According to the 9th ASER, over 96% children have been enrolled in schools in the 6-14 age group."Now the goal needs to shift from Enrolment to Quality Education.

Quality Education The AnalysisOutcome Goal

Earlier, Basic Literacy could have been the goal for India, "but as the world is becoming more knowledge based "

we need to have an aspirational goal: High Quality Education."!

Admittedly, being aspirational in the face of the largely depressing reality is difficult.

Quality Education The AnalysisWhat Outcome?So when Quality Education is the goal, "it needs to be measured and monitored.

NCERT in government sector and ASER in the non governmental sector carry out such assessments. "And both NCERT and ASER are not used to drive policy, except episodically.

Quality Education The AnalysisMeasure & Monitor

The Recommendation 1

Educationists spiritedly debate the relative merits and de-merits of NCERT, ASER, PISA and others. The nuances are admirable but running an educational policy on slightly sub-optimal outcome measures is better than running the policy only on inputs. Hence …

✓ Government should agree on a honest and independent evaluation methodology (periodically updated) to monitor student education levels. !

✓ Success of education endeavours and policy plans and refinements should then be based, solely on these monitored levels.

Quality Education The AnalysisMeasure & MonitorGovernment should take this up in mission mode, so that within 1 year …"

- A block / district officer should know if the learning level of students in the block is improving or not."

- An MLA /MP should know if the learning level of students in the constituency is improving over years."

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- The Education Secretary, Education Minister and the Chief Minister of a State to know if the learning level of students in their state is improving or not."

- The Education Minister, the Prime Minister and the Parliament to know if the learning levels of students in the country is improving over the years.


Teachers or Officials, no one is held accountable for outcomes …"At best, they are accountable for inputs like a) optimum Pupil Teacher Ratio b) minimum number of working days"No one is accountable if the learning levels in the school / district/ state are low and not improving

Who is Accountable

The Recommendation 2

✓ Hold teachers and officials responsible for improvement in outcomes (responsibility can only be for improvements and not absolute levels, as absolute levels depend on many parameters).!

✓ Incentivise them for outcome improvements and punish them for not achieving target outcomes


Contrary to popular belief, teachers are paid well. A study revealed that in rural UP government teachers were paid 12-20 times the salary of private school teachers "

But yes, teachers are hampered by many impediments: "1) Non teaching workload: Administrative duties, Mid day meal supervision, ensuring enrolment "2) Sub standard and often irrelevant training "3) Little say in how school money is spent

Teachers teach

The Recommendation 3✓ Remove / reduce incentives for non teaching work. !✓ Given that teachers and education officers are held accountable

for improvement in outcomes, they should have the choice of training programs to help them achieve these goals


Communities across the country aspire for high quality education for their children, but are unable to assist or monitor teachers because …"

1) Low skill levels"2) Social distance between community and teachers"3) Aspirations not well defined, due to limited exposure"The right people from local communities need to have a say in incentives and penalties, as well as tools to achieve target outcomes.

Involve Community

The Recommendation 4✓ Launch a program in mission mode for training

community members in their rights and encourage them to effectively assist in achieving target outcomes.

www.AskHowIndia.

org

Creative Partner"MeriMaaCineMAA

More? P

lease

follo

w

AskHow

India

on

How do you plan to increase the rate of

improvement of Education outcomes?

What has been the improvement in the

last five years?

What are the "education outcome levels of children in your constituency?

TWEET TO!@HRDMinistry, @PMOIndia

Please drive Education Policy by outcomes not inputs."#OutcomesNotInputs "

http://slidesha.re/1u6ncMg

IN CONCLUSION, !Please ask your Political Representatives