School education languishing in Assam: Report

More & more students dropping out due to poor quality teachers, dismal classrooms

BY Our Staff Reporter

Guwahati, Nov 1: A report of the tiol University of Education Planning & Administration has thrown up some shocking statistics on the state of education in Assam.

The report - titled School Education in India - has pointed to the chronic shortage of qualified and trained teachers in Assam that could be a serious hurdle in imparting quality education. In fact, some even hold the shortage of quality teachers responsible for the high drop-out rate in the State.

At the primary level, the State has only 55.02 per cent trained teachers, which is far below the tiol average of 73.18. The quality of teachers at the higher levels is poorer.

Just 29.93 per cent teachers at the upper primary level (tiol average 76.18) and 13.85 per cent at the secondary level (tiol average 77.88) are trained, while the percentage of trained teachers at the higher secondary level is a meager 10.27 (tiol average 69.73).

Only 53.65 per cent of the teachers (up to higher secondary level) are graduates against the tiol average of 69.93. Even at the upper primary and secondary level, only 87.36 per cent teachers are graduates.

The report also states that the condition of classrooms in the State is pathetic.

At the elementary level, only 53.09 per cent of the classrooms are in good condition (tiol average 82.16), while 29.03 per cent are in need of major repairs.

The percentages of classrooms in good condition at the secondary and higher secondary level are 43.99 and 59.3.

No wonder, Assam is among the eight states with the highest drop-out rates in the country.

The drop-out rate at the primary level is 7.44 per cent (tiol average 4.34), while at the upper primary and secondary level it is 7.05 and 30.43.

The State's drop-out rate at the secondary level is better than only Odisha (49.48) and galand (35.11). The drop-out rate at the secondary level has increased in 2013-14 as compared to 2012-13 when it was 26.77. While the drop-out rates of girls is lower at the primary and upper primary levels, at the secondary level more number of girls are out of school.

Better-trained teachers are critical to ending the crisis in access to basic education, while ensuring children learn the skills they need to contribute to society.