The year 2020 created a severe disruption in the education arena where around 25 crore students were confined to their homes under the lockdown declared by the Government to prevent the spread of Covid-19. Online classes have become the only alternative and used by one and all as a means to provide teaching to the students during the pandemic.
The Annual Status of Education Report(ASER) is an annual survey that aims to provide reliable estimates of children’s enrolment and basic learning levels for each district and State in India. The ASER has been conducted every year since 2005 in all rural districts of the country and the the largest citizen-led survey in India.
Though the students are confined to their homes for the last seven months, the survey was conducted through phone calls to around 52,000 rural households spread over the country. It revealed some good and some alarming findings to be taken care of.
The happy news is that there has been a clear shift from private to Government schools by both boys and girls in all grades during the period 2018 to 2020 and the reason is due to the financial distress or shutdown of the private schools.
Around 81 per cent of the total children have text books but the percentage of children possessing text books in Government schools is around 84 per cent where as in private schools 72 per cent students have books.
This is a plus point for the Government students and a visible development of the Government efforts to make our education system equitable and affordable one. The major finding of the report which exposed the lacunae of the education system is the non-availability of equipment for conducting online education. The percentage of students possessing a smart phone stood at 56.4 in Government schools whereas in private schools 74.2 per cent students own a smart phone.
Around 61.8 per cent of the students in the country are using smart phones for their online education in 2020 which has considerably increased from 36.5 per cent in 2018.
But during the pandemic situation when online education is the new normal, lack of the gadgets hamper the education system in the country. Even those possessing the smart phones may not use them efficiently due to connectivity and power problems. Adding to the blues, many of them are not given attention by the teachers, the data of ASER reveals.
Only one third of the enrolled children received learning materials from the teachers during the reference week. Parents cited different reasons for non receipt of materials and assignments of the major one is the lukewarm response of the schools.
Around 60 per cent of the parents complained that the school is not sending the materials which is a concern to be taken note of. Another major finding to be taken care of is that 30.5 per cent students of the Government schools and 28.1 per cent of the private schools did not take up any learning activity during the reference week of the survey.
The State of Odisha fared well in some aspects and discouraging in some other aspects. Around 86 per cent of the students in Government and private schools possess text books with them against the 81 per cent at the national level.
Smart phones possession is discouraging as only 49 per cent families of the children own them. In private schools, three fourth of the families of the students own smart phone where as in Government schools less than half of the families use smart phones.
The percentage of children who received materials and assignments during the reference week is very discouraging in Odisha. Only 23.8 per cent of the enrolled students received the materials where the private schools fared well with 50.6 per cent students having received materials but in Government schools it is 18.5 per cent. Around 30 per cent of the students in Odisha did not engage themselves in any academic activity during the lockdown period. This shows the status of our online education during the pandemic situation.
These surveys remind us of our responsibilities and the need to discharge them effectively and efficiently in the interest of the welfare of the society.
Proper motivation and management at this juncture is highly needed to the keep the academic year going and save the precious time of the students. The pandemic situation may continue for a long time which is not known to any one. Ways and means are to be found out to adapt with the new normalcy like online classes and examinations.
All-round efforts by the village community leaders, NGOs, political representatives and parents are the only option available for bringing the much needed new normal in the teaching learning process.
The National Education Day is celebrated in our country on November 11 to remember the contribution of our first Education Minister Moulana Abul Kalam Azad who was credited with the setting up of the University Grants Commission, the Indian institute of Technology, the Indian Institute of Science and many more academic institutions of reputation.
In recognition of his contributions in the education sector, Azad was conferred with Bharat Ratna, the highest civilian award of the country.
As a tribute to the legendary Abul Kalam Azad, all the stakeholders of education - the students, teachers, parents and the institutions-- should appraise their performance during the year on this day and chalk out the plans for the next one year.
The University Grants Commission made it compulsory to observe the day in all academic institutions but the initiative should come from inside the heart and soul of the stakeholders for a holistic development of the sector.
(Dr Biswal is Head, Department of Commerce, Nowrangpur College, Nabarangpur. Mob: 9437125286. bhaskarnathbiswal@gmail.com)
