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Over the past decade, Uttar Pradesh has clocked high growth in primary schools infrastructure, according to a report by the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (Assocham).
The report says the number of schools in Uttar Pradesh grew with a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.1 per cent between 2005-06 and 2013-14, against the corresponding national figure of 3.2 per cent.
Understandably, the high growth could partially be due to lower base, yet the direction and expansion in absolute terms could not be negated. Currently, the total number of schools in the country and Uttar Pradesh stand at 1.45 million and 240,000, respectively.
The Assocham report said higher CAGR in Uttar Pradesh indicated ‘faster improvement’ in the penetration of schools, which would encourage higher enrolments. The report said it was imperative that primary education developed at a rapid pace in the state, given its large population of about 200 million. According to the 2011 census, 47.2 per cent of the state’s population belonged to under-20 age group, which is higher than the corresponding all-India figure of 43 per cent.
The report, titled ‘UP: Inching towards double digit growth’, was released in Lucknow on Monday by Assocham National Secretary General D S Rawat. He said the report would soon be submitted to the state government.
However, the teacher availability-school ratio is still low in the state compared to the national figure.
The average availability of teachers in a school in Uttar Pradesh and India was 4.1 and 5.3, respectively, in 2013-14. However, the state recorded a CAGR of eight per cent between 2005-06 and 2013-14, against the all-India figure of 6.4 per cent.
‘Students managed by a teacher’ is regarded as the most important indicator of quality of education. A smaller ratio means better education. The state has improved significantly from 57 in 2005-06 to 38 in 2013-14 vis-à-vis 36 to 26 for the country, respectively.
