Maharashtra moves up in rankings based on school infrastructure : Mumbai

The state ranks eighth on the education report card despite failing to provide basic facilities such as electricity, ramps for the physically challenged and low strength of teachers, revealed flash statistics of the Unified District Information System for Education (U-DISE) released recently.

The state moved up to the eighth rank in the primary level educational development index, 2011-12 – a huge jump from its seventeenth rank the previous year. But it missed out on the top five positions because of failure to provide some basic facilities.

Theses rankings are based on several indicators including enrolment, pupil teacher ratio and infrastructure facilities among others. The survey is conducted by the National University of Educational Planning and Administration in 2011-12.

According to the survey, only 54.33% primary schools in the state have an electricity connection, while only 64% schools have installed ramps for physically challenged students.

‘’Though we have completed working on improving drinking water and toilet facilities, we are lagging behind in other areas,’’ said a senior education official from the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyaan, Mumbai division. The official added that the government is working on these issues.

A major area in which the state falls short is the number of teachers in schools. While government schools are relatively better off with 53.33% teachers, unaided schools have only 15.22% teachers.

“The government does not have a checking mechanism for unaided schools and they have very poor pupil teacher ratio,’’ said Farida Lambay, founder of Pratham, an education NGO.

Though the Right to Education Act, 2009, prescribes a pupil teacher ratio (PTR) of 30:1 for primary schools and 35:1 for upper primary schools, around 28.33 % primary schools and 25.16% upper primary schools exceed the PTR.


Source : Hindustan Times , 1st July 2013