Jharkhand: Post Pandemic, Schools Struggle With Low Attendance, Inadequate Infrastructure & Lack Of Funding

Student attendance and their learning abilities in Jharkhand schools plummeted to 58 per cent at the upper primary school level and 68 per cent at the primary school level after the pandemic, according to a paper by economist Jean Dreze. Based on a survey in 138 state-run schools throughout 16 districts of the state, 53 per cent of teachers revealed that once the schools reopened after the pandemic, pupils had forgotten how to read and write, said the report.

No Help For Students During Pandemic

The survey, 'Gloom in the Classroom: The Schooling Crisis in Jharkhand,' was conducted by Bharat Gyan Vigyan Samiti Jharkhand, a mass movement steered by community-based volunteers. According to the assessment, the Education Department abandoned tribal children and children from underprivileged backgrounds, said Dreze. He added that the schools were shut for two years, yet nothing was done to help them.

Director of the Jharkhand Education Project Council (JEPC), Kiran Kumari Pasi, said that post-pandemic, student learning capacities and school attendance had decreased. Due to the fact that 87 per cent of pupils in government schools lacked access to cellphones around that time, internet education was nothing more than a joke, explained Dreze, reported NDTV.

The Jharkhand government established JEPC, an autonomous body, to bring out significant improvements to the elementary education system, to the general situation, and for the universalization of primary education.

"I don't want to comment on the survey as I haven't seen it. But, it is a fact that the learning abilities of students and attendance in schools have declined after the pandemic," Pasi said. She also added that to encourage children back to school, we have undertaken a number of measures, from supporting sports to organizing recreational events, reported The Economic Times. Classes 1 to 5 represent the primary level of schooling, whereas classes 6–8 compose the upper-primary level.

Grappling With Lack Of Teaching Staff

The report also showed that a teacher-to-student ratio of less than 30, as recommended in the Right to Education Act (RTE), is only seen in 20 per cent of upper primary schools and 50 per cent in primary schools. Of the 138 schools assessed for the report, 20 per cent had just one teacher.

It also discovered that 40 per cent of the sample's primary schools are run totally by para-teachers. Para-teachers made up the majority of primary-level instructors in these schools- 55 per cent. In the upper-primary level, about 37 per cent comprised para-teachers, it was noted. Dreze remarked that para-teachers had less training and poorer qualifications compared to regular teachers and doubts if they are more accountable. He added that no new teacher recruitment was conducted in the state in the last six years.

In addition, the study revealed that 66 per cent of the sample's elementary schools lacked boundary walls, 64 per cent lacked playgrounds, and 37 per cent lacked libraries. The study also claimed that 'not a single school' in the sample had running water, electricity, or toilets. Most teachers also reported that there were insufficient funds for midday meals. The study focused on government primary and upper-primary schools where at least half of the students are from scheduled caste (SC) or scheduled tribal (ST) families.

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