[color=#33cc33]As part of a new weekly blog, we will explore the education systems in different countries where Givology has partners present, with the goal of understanding the complexities of different bureaucracies and how they handle education. [/color]
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[/color][color=#0099ff][b]The Basics
[/b][/color]Making quality education accessible to all children. For the past decade, Givology has partnered with communities and organizations to fulfill this mission. Through this process, Givology has had to navigate through various education systems and unique conditions around the world. Learning about the characteristics of different education systems allows us to recognize the variety of measures needed to improve education throughout the world.
India is home to 1.3 billion people, approximately 40 percent of whom are below the age of 18; In 2009, the Parliament of India passed the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act or Right to Education Act, which stressed the importance for children between the ages of 6 and 14 to attend school. When this act came into operation, India became one of 135 other countries that recognized education as a fundamental human right. However, although attendance is mandatory, it is not always enforced, leading to a large portion of youth not attending school on a regular basis.
[color=#0099ff][b]Public vs Private
[/b][/color] Like other nations around the world, India has a rapidly growing private school system, with approximately 30% of students between the ages of 6 and 14 receiving education in a private school. Private schools are especially popular in urban areas, where there is a greater population of middle-class families and those who can afford a private school education. Most private schools are based on English medium instruction, but the state language, Hindi, is a mandatory subject for students. [b][color=#00cc00]The preference for many families in India towards private school largely deals with better funding and higher standards[/color][color=#00cc33].[/color][/b] The tuition for most public schools also includes extra-curricular activities and access to school-sponsored events such as science fairs, drama performances, and talent shows.
The majority of school-aged children attend government schools, which are run by the state and local governments, and sometimes the central government. Administrative and budgetary issues are common in public schools and therefore result in high-class sizes, poor facilities, and insufficient resources. In terms of curriculum, the central government has made efforts to standardize subjects across India; however, it remains difficult for public schools to operate at the same level as private schools, without equal funding.
[color=#0099ff][b]Literacy Statistics
[/b][/color]According to the 2011 government census, the literacy rate in India was 74 percent, a 9.2 percent increase from 2001. The world average literacy rate is 86 percent among adults, as claimed by a 2015 UNESCO report. In India, greater concern has been attributed to the large disparity in literacy rates between males and females; [color=#00cc00][b]in 2011, it was reported that 81 percent of males were literate, compared to only 64 percent of females.[/b] [/color]
The state with the highest literacy in India is Kerala, with a 94 percent literate population. This has been achieved by several actions taken by the state government since the early 1980s, including improving access for rural residents to schools. Several central government efforts over the past forty years have attempted to increase literacy rates through concentrated efforts to make schools more accessible. One example is Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, Hindi for Total Literacy Campaign, which was launched in 2001 with the aim of ensuring children in the 6-14 age group receive a complete eight-year education.
[color=#0099ff][b]Assessments of Quality
[/b][/color]The quality of education in India has been discussed extensively, specifically in public schools. [b][color=#00cc00]One of the main reasons for poor quality is high rates of teacher absences every day, sometimes up to 25 percent.[/color][/b] This leads to a high student to teacher ratio, making it difficult for any individual student attention. India has not participated in standardized worldwide assessments such as PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment), so it is difficult to gain a comprehensive understanding of the quality of education in India.
Though the current assessment of public schools in India is not exemplary, government leaders are optimistic that more children will have access to better quality education in the years to come. Givology has collaborated with its partners in India to ensure education remains a fundamental human right for all children across India.
[color=#0099ff][b]Our Partners in India:
[/b]Interested in learning more about our partners? Click each name for more information:
[/color][b][url=https://www.givology.org/~aaap/][color=#00cc00]Apne Aap[/color][/url][/b]
As a grassroots Indian organization, Apne Aap empowers women and girls to end sex traffiking by helping them access resources, and stop the spread of traffiking within their communities.
[url=https://www.givology.org/~aindia/][b][color=#00cc00]Aid India (Eureka Child)[/color][/b]
[/url]Aid India works with villages in the state of Tamilnadu to aid families in education, health, and reconstructing homes. Through their after-school Eureka centers, tutors are trained to give students individual attention in Tamil, Math, and English.
[url=https://www.givology.org/~nefoundation/][b][color=#00cc00]Numabhai Education Foundation[/color][/b]
[/url]The Numabhai Education Foundation has created a cost-effective model to assist and improve government funded schools, which often reach the poorest students in India. Since its founding in 2004, the NEF has assisted over 500 students around India to obtain advanced education, and continue their studies abroad.
[b]Sources:[/b]
https://www.britishcouncil.in/sites/default/files/indian_school_education_system_-_an_overview_1.pdf
http://web.worldbank.org/archive/website01291/WEB/0__CO-14.HTM
https://wenr.wes.org/2018/09/education-in-india
http://censusindia.gov.in/Census_And_You/literacy_and_level_of_education.aspx
09 JUL 2019