Topic– Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating Education
6) Despite the RTE Act being more than a decade old, educational outcomes in India continue to remain poor. Examine.(250 words)
Why this question
The article discusses the result of the ASER report and delves deep into a problem long faced by education sector in India which is poor learning outcomes. Understanding the causes of this problems along with possible mitigation strategies is important.
Key demand of the question
The question expects us to bring out the findings of the aser report which again highlights the poor learning outcomes among Indian children. Thereafter, we need to discuss the reasons why it is so including the issues with RTE Act. Finally, we need to discuss solutions to the issue.
Directive word
Examine – When you are asked to examine, you have to probe deeper into the topic, get into details, and find out the causes or implications if any .
Structure of the answer
Introduction – Highlight that the the latest Annual Status Of Education Report 2018 (Rural) or ASER 2018 holds a mirror to a country that is aspiring to be a knowledge power.
Body
- Highlight in detail the findings of the ASER report which would reflect the magnitude of learning outcomes in the country – ASER report shows Indian children have a huge learning deficit. The highly respected annual report, which collected data from 596 districts in India, shows that one in two students (50.3%) in Indian schools lack basic reading ability not just of their own grade but also of those of three levels below. This is a 2.2 percentage point increase compared with the situation in 2014 and a dip of 3.1 percentage points compared with 2010. The situation with regard to arithmetic is equally abysmal—just 44.1% of class VIII students can do simple division. This strike rate is almost same as in 2014 and 4 percentage points less when compared with 2012
- Explain the measures taken by the government to improve the situation such as the RTE Act, schemes such as “Padhe Bharat Badhe Bharat”, apart from states’ efforts.
- Discuss the impact of such measures and issues involved therein.
Conclusion – Give your view and discuss the way forward.
