more from India Report on government schools

Even in schools where teaching was going on, children were getting a raw deal. Mindless rote learning still dominated the classroom. The reviewers came across children chanting mathematical tables for several hours. When asked even a simple question, they faltered; when asked to “read” anything outside the text, they often could not. They frequently found children copying blindly from the blackboard or the textbook without comprehending it.

It is therefore not surprising that children learned little in most schools. even in terms of the elementary “3Rs” learning achievements were very poor. They found that 80% of the children in grades 4 or 5 could do simple addition and 60% could do simple subtraction. However, when it came to even single digit multiplication, the proportion dropped to 55%. And only half could do a simple division by 5.

Further, a large proportion of children was unable to read and write, or answer simple questions, even after 4 or 5 years at school. For instance, nearly 62 percent of children studying in grades 4 or 5 in a government school could not read a simple story. And more than 80% could not write the answer to a simple question. Unfortunately, years of schooling and grades completed continue to remain an unreliable guide to what children learn and know.

Is there any “quick fix” to revive classroom activity in Indian schools? Some have been tried but with limited results.