Rajasthan has the largest number of out-of-school children among all the Indian states. The number of students in Class 1 and 2 who cannot recognise letters has been increasing and in 2013, almost 69 per cent of the students in Class 2 did not recognise letters. Enrollment numbers in the state have risen, but in private schools. Government schools have failed to attract new students - a trend that is gaining ground country-wide.
Recognising the state's inability to improve and deliver even a basic level of education, the Rajasthan government - led by Chief Minister Vasundhra Raje - has recently come out with a new policy proposal where private players will be asked to take over the running and management of government schools. The state, which has a substantial budget towards this end, would pay the private school on a per child basis - a sort of public-private partnership in the education sector.
Even before the state administration could give the final touches to its new idea and work out the detailed plans, a barrage of protest has erupted. Political parties, activists, teachers, academicians and representatives of various non-government organisations have jumped into the fray to pull down the idea and ensure that it makes no headway. Teachers have held protest marches against the move. Protesters allege that the state government is keen to hand over government finances and budgets to private players - a move that will entail and lead to corruption, a valid fear given the past record of state governments.
An open letter to the chief minister by 33 signatories - representing several organisations including Oxfam, Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi University and Centre for Social Development - has also questioned Raje's premise and argued that such a move will damage public education in the state.
Resistance to change in India - and probably the world over - is high but when it comes to areas such as education, the resistance reaches mammoth proportions as we have recently seen in the case of Delhi University and its proposed four-year undergraduate plan.
Whether the state decides to withdraw and allow the private sector - in a fair and transparent manner - to do what it has failed to do so far or whether it puts in a new concerted effort to take the bull head-on is a call each state must take. States like Kerala have managed to deliver a fairly robust primary education system. There's no reason why others cannot follow.
But to me Raje's plan is an acknowledgement that there is a problem, some thought is going into the matter and is probably a step in the right direction - even if it is not yet fully thought through. Cut them some slack and they might get the policy framework right in due course.
Why do I think Raje's move makes sense? To start with, 50 years of following the present way of doing things has clearly got the state nowhere. If Rajasthan is lagging behind on almost all educational parameters and presents a sorry picture in the National Achievement Survey and in annual reports, this clearly means what it has been doing so far is ineffective. Those opposing change argue that the problem lies in beefing up public investment and pumping more funds into the state education sector - which to me sounds like more money down the drain. Unless one can see measurable outcomes and firm results, it makes little sense to pump more money into a system that is broken and is consistently failing to deliver. The system so far has not worked; why not try something new?
Second, the numbers speak for themselves: 43 per cent of Indian children study in private schools today. This is growing at roughly 1.5 per cent a year. Some experts think that by 2025, 60 per cent of Indian children will be studying in private schools.
Rajasthan's own experience speaks volumes; for the age group 6-14, rural enrolment in private schools jumped dramatically over a seven-year period from 25 per cent in 2006 to almost 40 per cent in 2013.
If more and more parents are opting for private schooling despite the fact that public schooling is practically free, it is evidence that the state system has failed. Government school teachers and principals prefer to send their own wards to private schools as and when they have the option.
Either way, that there is a need for change can hardly be in doubt. The details can be argued over and worked out but you can see which way things are headed.