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40% of Karnataka kids in Class 3, 4 can’t read Class 1 textbook

85.3% of children in class 1 and 2 can read letters and words and at least 85.8 can recognize numbers from 1-9 and more.

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Primary education in Karnataka is left wanting in its most crucial aspect — learning — although some facilities required in schools have improved. Experts say this trend highlights that improving facilities have diverted the attention and taken the steam out of the efforts of improving learning among schoolchildren in the state.

This is the finding of the Annual Status of Education Report (ASER)-2011 which surveyed 781 schools in the state as part of a countrywide exercise that involved 14,283 schools.

Now the shocker: In Karnataka, at least 40.3% of schoolchildren in class 3 and 4 cannot read a class 1 textbook, while more than half of them (52.5%) cannot do subtractions. This, despite the fact that 85.3% of children in class 1 and 2 can read letters and words and at least 85.8 can recognize numbers from 1-9 and more.

This indicates a disheartening trend of children either losing interest in learning or there being a hidden flaw in the system by which the children are taught.

According to the report, this poor performance among the mid-primary schoolchildren in learning is matched by only some facilities in the schools across the state being improved.

Office rooms, store rooms, useable toilets (including the ones for girls), drinking water, playgrounds and boundary walls have considerably improved. For instance, 81.9% of schools have drinking water facility, compared to 75.8% in 2010; 44.2% have useable toilets, compared to 38.4% in 2010; 71.1% have playgrounds, compared to 66.2% last year; and 94% have kitchens for cooking, compared to 92.8% in the previous year. 

But the percentage of teaching and learning materials has come down. There is no significant increase in the number of library books available for the children (92.4% in 2010 and 92.6% in 2011); even where the books are available, the percentage of children using them has come down considerably, with only about 57.8% using them compared to 64.8% in 2010.

The data shows that when it comes to teaching and learning materials, the schools fare poorly compared to the previous year. In 2010, 97.3% of teaching and learning materials were observed in class 2, compared to 95.8% in 2011; in class 4, 2010 saw 92.4% against 90.4% in 2011.

This perhaps explains the disparity in the learning among students of class 1 and 2, on the one hand, and those from class 3 and 4, on the other.

“Since the implementation of the RTE, the government is looking at improving infrastructure in schools such as building compound walls and girls toilets. However, this has shifted its focus from the most important aspect - quality of education in classrooms,” said  Madhav Chavan, founder and CEO of Pratham, an NGO which facilitates the survey.

Manjula Raman, principal, Army Public School, says, “I’ve noticed that by the time children are in class 3, they already look tired and stressed out. Parents get paranoid about homework which adds to the stress levels of children. The fun in learning just vanishes and so does their general happiness.”

Mansoor Ali Khan, member, board of management, Delhi Public School, Bangalore and Mysore, says: “It’s still essential to make a class interesting. The transition from UKG to class 1 should be smooth, because there tends to be a jump in academics. When the transition is not smooth, and the workload is more than the child can handle, problems begin. Although technology is available, it is important to see how it is used. My personal opinion is that formal education should start at age 6.

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