Relevance : GS Paper II
Introduction
By next year, the average age of an Indian is expected to be 29 year.
Issues with School education
- School enrolment has increased but just ensuring schooling does not result in learning.
- Only few third grade students can read second grade text or subtract one two-digit number from another.
- A large proportion of children are not picking up critical skills in the early grades.
Significance of school education
- School education will generate the demographic dividend needed to power India’s growth story.
- Without a strong learning foundation at the primary level, there can be little or no improvement in higher education or skill development.
Foundational literacy
- The draft NEP states that attainment of foundational skills has to be given the highest priority..
- Children are expected to “learn to read” by class 3 so that they can “read to learn” after that.
- The absence of foundational skills hits children from poor households or first generation learners the most.
Way forward
- The government needs to urgently focus on foundational learning.
- Appropriate teaching-learning material, training and teacher support need to be made available.
- Improved accountability through independent monitoring and measurement can play a critical role.
Conclusion
Foundational learning opens up opportunities for better income, health, sanitation, safety, and so on.
