People's Democracy(Weekly Organ of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) |
Vol. XXXIV
No.
52 December 26, 2010 |
KERALA
School
Education Registers Shining Gains
M A Baby
THE vested
interests in
Kerala’s society have always tried to manufacture controversy in order
to
defame the Left initiatives and achievements. In 1996, apart from other
things,
the Nayanar government achieved energy self-sufficiency in the state of
Kerala
through systematic planning and implementation. In order to divert the
attention from its achievement, however, the SNC Lavalin controversy
was
fabricated by the Congress led opposition in the state, with the help
of the
motivated media, without any shred of evidence of any malpractice.
Similar
efforts are discernable in other areas too, including education.
Allegations of
strangulation of the minorities and indoctrination of students through
syllabus
have been two pet themes repeated by the vested interests in order to
divert
attention from the unassailable achievements of the present LDF
government. A
brief survey of the significant achievements in the field of school
education
is attempted below.
SIGNIFICANT
RECORD
Education has
played a
decisive role in shaping a democratic and secular society in Kerala. The state had to overcome numerous
challenges at different periods for the development of a people-centred
education system. The progressive forces have joined hands with
academic
establishments to bring about such a wholesome development. The Left
Democratic
Front (LDF) has always been instrumental in facilitating and
coordinating the movements
and forces that would work together for the promotion of access, equity
and
excellence in education. Following are
some of the steps undertaken by the present LDF government for the
improvement
of general education in the State.
In terms of
enrolment and
retention of students, Kerala’s record, with about 100 per cent
enrolment and
minimal dropout rate, is remarkably significant in comparison with even
developed countries. The thrust of the present government, therefore,
was to
tackle the problem of quality, which was perceived to be average. An
initiative
was therefore undertaken in 2006 to draw up a special scheme for the
most
backward schools and 104 schools were selected for the implementation
of the
scheme, on the basis of their poor performance in the SSLC examination. It was found that the majority of the
children in these schools were underfed and under-nourished. The
schools were
largely neglected by the public as children of well-to-do and
influential
families never attended such schools. The new scheme aimed at
addressing both these
concerns with the help of local self-governments. Institution specific
problems
and solutions were identified by teams of teachers, parents and
people’s
representatives. Provisions were made for adequate supply of nutritious
food
for the children. Systematic academic enrichment programmes were also
introduced.
Local level committees monitored the implementation of the scheme on a
daily
basis. The changes were dramatic. Within a year, in more than 80 per
cent out
of the 104 schools, the result in the SSLC examination improved from
zero per
cent to more than 75 per cent. The improvement was sustained in the
succeeding
years as shown in Table I.
But the
efforts for
improvement of quality were not confined to these 104 selected schools
alone.
Similar efforts were made in almost all schools, with the result that
the
performance of the students in the SSLC examination showed a steady
increase
over the years. This is shown in Table II.
The
improvement in the
student performance was inclusive. The percentage of pass in the SSLC
examination in respect of SC/ST students improved over the years. In
case of SC
students it improved from 37 per cent in 2005 to 80.52 per cent in
2010; in
case of ST students the rise was from 33 to 90.70 per cent in the same
period.
PEOPLE’S
PARTICIPATION
One can be
legitimately
proud of the tremendous progress the state under the LDF dispensation
has been
able to achieve in the field of general education, both in terms of
quantity
and quality, as is evident from the above statistics. However, there is
no
scope for complacency. Still a lot more needs to be done to further
improve the
quality of school education. This can be achieved only by devoted and
protracted efforts with the involvement of all sections of society.
An important
feature of
the reform undertaken during the period 2006-2010 was the large scale
participation of people in educational programmes. A Kerala Curriculum
Framework
was drawn up by the people on the pattern of the National Curriculum
Framework
2005. The exercise witnessed the participation of a large number of
experts
from within and outside the state, teachers, general public and
organisations’
representatives. All school textbooks were revised in accordance with
the new
curriculum framework.
The next
important step
was to impart adequate training to all teachers in the nuances of the
new
curriculum. The training programmes were scheduled in such a way as not
to
disturb the regular academic work. About 1.80 lakh teachers were thus
trained, spanned
over more than 36 lakh mandays. The training sessions provided them
enough opportunities
to update their pedagogic skills, share their experiences and resolve
their
issues through consultation and consensus.
The
implementation of such
a massive training programme did not take place without any resistance.
As a
matter of fact, a section of the teachers raised the banner of revolt,
with the
blessings of the opposition parties. The protests took such an ugly
turn in one
instance that it led to the cold-blooded murder of a conscientious
teacher.
However, the government was able to contain all opposition and conduct
the
training programme with remarkable success, as it was always open to
criticism
and suggestions for improvement.
An important
concern of
the LDF government was to improve the infrastructure for education. A
concerted
effort was made to improve the quality of learning by introducing the
information communication technologies. The [email protected] project was
implemented
in all secondary schools. Internet facilities are now available in all
high
schools.
Yet another
initiative was
to introduce a number of schemes for the promotion of environmental
awareness
among the children. In 2007, children planted 25 lakhs of seedlings
with the
assistance of the forest department. A novel scheme named “My Tree
Diary” was
introduced. Children were required
to
note down their observations and experiences in tending the seedlings
planted
by them on day-to-day basis, with a view to creating in them greater
awareness
of nature through first hand observation and interaction.
FOR
CHILDREN’S
FITNESS
& HEALTH
Along with
improving
academic performance and aesthetic sensitivity, attention was also
given to the
improvement of physical and mental health of the children. A survey
conducted throughout
the state showed that only less than 20 per cent of the students had
the
required physical fitness. A scheme was therefore implemented to
improve the
quality of mid-day meals, with the help of parent-teacher associations
at the
school level. All children up to the eighth standard --- 32 lakhs ---
are being
given milk twice a week and eggs once a week as a part of the scheme.
The
cumulative impact of
these schemes implemented by the government, with active participation
of the
people at the grassroots, level has been remarkable. The overall
improvement of
quality in the government and the government aided sector has arrested
the exodus
of children towards the private unaided institutions. Sustained efforts
in the
direction evolved by the government is very much expected to strengthen
the
public funded education system in the state, which alone can ensure
inclusive
development in education --- a precondition for inclusive social and
economic
development in the state.
TABLE I
Performance
of Least Performing 104 schools from 2006 to 2010
Percentage of
Students Who Secured Eligibility for Higher
Education in SSLC Examination
Percentage |
2006 |
2007 |
2008 |
2009 |
2010 |
100 per cent |
0 |
5 |
25 |
25 |
19 |
90 per cent
and above |
0 |
13 |
56 |
56 |
54 |
75 per cent
and above |
0 |
47 |
88 |
85 |
86 |
60 per cent
and above |
0 |
77 |
97 |
102 |
102 |
50 per cent
and above |
0 |
98 |
107 |
106 |
103 |
Below 50 per
cent |
0 |
6 |
0 |
1 |
4 |
Below 33 per
cent |
104 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
TABLE II
SSLC Results
Year |
Percentage |
2005 |
58.49 |
2006 |
68.00 |
2007 |
82.29 |
2008 |
92.09 |
2009 |
91.92 |
2010 |
90.72 |