Strengthening schools

States can benefit from NITI Aayog's project

India has a massive network of around 1.5 million schools with an enrolment of over 260 million students. Government initiatives like the Right to Education Act, Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, and mid-day meals have led to significant improvement in access to school education. However, there still exists a multitude of interconnected challenges, ranging from learning outcomes and teacher vacancies to governance and organisational issues. In this context, the NITI Aayog’s work in three states — Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, and Odisha — under the project Sustainable Action for Transforming Human Capital in Education (SATH-E) could provide the way forward for other states as well.

The rapid opening of small government schools across the country and a decline in fertility rates have made some of these schools suboptimal in size. Running a large number of small schools is not only a costly exercise but also has consequences for academic outcomes because of the low availability of teachers. In Jharkhand, for instance, 4,380 schools were merged, resulting in cost savings worth Rs 400 crore. The NITI Aayog’s project has clearly stressed the need to proceed with the merger of small, sub-scale, and low-enrolment schools, along with teacher rationalisation because they are important means of transforming the school education landscape in the country.

Academic reform and in-school innovation can be successful only if the systemic challenges are tackled through a combination of institutional and governance changes. According to the report on the project, released this week, merging sub-scale schools through vertical integration and the consolidation of nearby schools have resulted in better academic and administrative outcomes. Once integrated, larger schools facilitate increased school size, rationalisation of teachers, improved physical infrastructure, higher student strength, and a smoother transition from one grade to the next, and also prevent multi-grade teaching. More students entail access to a larger peer group, which fosters diversity and depth in a student’s knowledge. It tends to display greater academic rigour and discipline. All this is strongly correlated with improved school performance, reduction in dropout rates, and better learning outcomes for students. Improved monitoring and governance is yet another benefit associated with school mergers.

The experience of the three SATH-E states may encourage other states to adopt some of the learning, keeping in mind factors like economic viability and the impact on children in local communities. Given India’s topographical variations and the presence of the tribal population, care must be taken such that access is not compromised and schools in a faraway location do not experience increased dropouts. The presence of schools in close proximity to one’s area of residence must remain a priority, particularly at primary level. The success of Khunti district in Jharkhand is worth highlighting here. The district administration managed to set up a transportation system for students who live further away. Students assemble at their erstwhile schools and are brought by bus to their new merged school. The provision of bicycles to older students may also be considered. Further, policymakers must also pay attention to the quality of teaching and course curriculum because they are important conduits in improving learning outcomes. Any policy around restructuring government schooling needs to be crafted carefully. India will not be able to attain sustainable development goals without improving education in government schools.