Education Structure In Rural Area
The Importance of Education in Rural Development
by Sanjay Kandpal*, Dr. Lalit Kumar Sagar,
- Published in Journal of Advances and Scholarly Researches in Allied Education, E-ISSN: 2230-7540
Volume 2, Issue No. 1, Jul 2011, Pages 0 - 0 (0)
Published by: Ignited Minds Journals
ABSTRACT
The analysis shows that the number of childrenparticipating in elementary education has improved, and the improvements aremore visible among children from rural areas, educationally lagging states,girls and those from the socially and economically disadvantaged groups. Whileprivate sector capture has been increasing, government is still the majorprovider, and especially so for children from marginalized groups. At the sametime, the analysis also points to the persisting gaps in participation, completionand transition among children from the disadvantaged groups, in spite of theprogress, especially during the last decade or so. The real India live in villages’, this saying is as true today as itwas when the country got independence 65 years back. As more than half of thepopulation of the country lives in villages, rural development is an eminentfactor for the development of our economy. The crucial motivating factor forthe development of the economy in today’s time is Education.
KEYWORD
education structure, rural area, elementary education, improvement, children, rural areas, educationally lagging states, girls, socially disadvantaged groups, economically disadvantaged groups
INTRODUCTION:
Education is the door way to the wider world and an exposition on rural infrastructure is incomplete without an assessment of the extent to which we have been able to open this door for the children of rural India [1]. We provide, in this study, an overview of the education system in India, its organization and the progress that has been made since independence. Different components that constitute rural education infrastructure are evaluated for their relative importance in the delivery of effective learning. We also examine the current status of rural education infrastructure in the country and gaps in the provisioning. This study also includes a discussion of the roles of public and private actors in the rural education sector, particularly in respect of the Indian and international experiences of private–public partnership (PPP) [2]. We review the regulatory regime for education and consider the various outcomes achieved across states and within states in this context. Costs and financing issues related to rural education infrastructure are reviewed.
REVIEW OF LITERATURE:
Education plays an important role in the progress of an individual‟s mind and country. People are made aware of what is going on in the world and can understand these issues and take necessary measures, if they are educated. Education tames the stray mind, nurturing its capabilities the same way, training builds a clever dog. Webster defines education as the process of educating or teaching (now that's really useful, isn't it?) „Educate‟ is further defined as “to develop the knowledge, skill, or character of...” Thus, from these definitions, we might assume that the purpose of education is to develop the knowledge, skill, or character of students [3]. The government of India has launched an integrated educational programme. „The Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan‟ (SSA), which is a flagship programme for universalizing elementary education and a National mission constituted with the Prime Minister as its Chairman The programme initially aims to provide eight years of quality elementary education for all children up to the age of 14 years in a mission mode with a thrust on community ownership, disadvantaged groups and quality education for girls. In order to meet the increased demand of quality education, the private institutions came up to support and work for it [4]. The growing population pressure and universalization of primary education also have contributed to the growth of private educational institutions.
1. Pre-Primary Education in India:
Various types of preprimary schools are available in India and more children are now attending pre-school (NIPCCD, 2006) indicating an increase in demand for education at this stage. This overall increase raises questions such as whether this demand has increased everywhere [5]. Are all children attending pre-schools if they are available? Which types of preschools do children belonging to different socio-economic groups attend? Who are the children totally excluded from preprimary schooling (zone 0 of the CREATE zones of exclusion)? Drawing on quantitative data collected in the National Family Health Survey, DISE (District Information System for Education) and the Seventh All India Education Survey as well as qualitative data collected through CREATE‟s community and school survey (ComSS) in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh conducted in 2008, this policy brief presents an analysis of pre-primary education in India and recommends policies for the improved provision of equitable and quality preprimary schooling
[6].
2. Policy Initiatives for Pre-School Education in India: Provision of early childhood care and education, especially for the most vulnerable and disadvantaged children, is one of the six Education for All (EFA) goals [7]. Although there is no numerical target for reaching the target group within a fixed time-frame, governments have been urged to expand access, improve quality and ensure equity in Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) services. Like elsewhere, the importance of pre-primary schooling has long been recognised by educational policy and programmes in India and it has also been a constitutional commitment as a part of the directive principle of the constitution. The National policy on Education 1986 and its Plan of Action, have placed immense importance on pre-school education [8]. However, it has not been considered a fundamental right, nor it is being fully managed by the educational departments at national or state level although it is partially supported by the ongoing flagship educational programme Sarva Siksha Abhiyan (SSA) which includes a major component of ECCE.
3. Primary Education in Rural India:
The concept and phenomenon of education is of modern origin, not only in India, but also in the developing countries and the West. It is only with the emergence of the industrial revolution, that children's education based on school going received a boost in the West. In India too, contemporary education draws from Western origins. According to Yogendra Singh, in India, the traditional content of education was esoteric and metaphysical, its reach was limited to upper castes and its organization was ascriptive. Modern education, on the other hand, is rational and scientific and open to all groups on the basis of merit. Education is seen as the most influential agent of modernization-apart from industrialization and urbanization in India [9].
4. Infrastructure Needs for Providing Effective Rural Education:
Education infrastructure broadly includes teachers, teachers‟ guides to the curriculum and syllabus, non-consumable learning materials (such as curriculum materials for students, textbooks, visual aids, and equipment), consumable learning materials (such as chalk, paper, pencils, exercise books), school buildings, including water facilities, latrines, and school furniture. A highly qualified, experienced, and competent teacher could probably be an effective educator with fewer resources than an untrained, poorly educated, and inexperienced teacher. To be effective, teachers must be competent and knowledgeable about the subjects that they teach. But they must also love learning and be able to pass on skills and knowledge to their students [10]. In countless assessments of education systems in developed and developing countries conclusive evidence has been established that shows the critical role of the teacher in ensuring positive learning outcomes for students.
5. School Participation in Rural India:
About one third of all Indian children are out of school. In the large north Indian states, which account for over 40 per cent of the country‟s population, the proportion of out-of-school children in the 6-14 age group is as high as 41 per cent, rising to 54 per cent among female children.1 Considering the crucial role of elementary education in development, the universalization of schooling in India is one of the most urgent development issues in the world today. Yet, relatively little is known about the reasons why so many Indian children are out of school. In public debates the tendency is to highlight a single „explanation‟. In official circles, for instance, the problem is often blamed on parental indifference towards education -- a convenient argument since it diverts attention from the responsibility of the state. Others consider that child labour is the overwhelming obstacle: according to the Campaign against Child Labour (1997), India has more than 60 million child labourers, working 12 hours a day on average. Neither of these single-focus explanations however, stands up to careful scrutiny. This is not to deny that they contain a grain of truth [11]. The real challenge is to build a balanced picture of the determinants of school participation, which integrates different lines of explanations: lack of parental or child motivation, the costs of schooling, the demands of child labour, and the low quality of schooling, among others. 6. Urban Education V/S Rural Education:
There are many schools in cities and towns whereas; there are very few schools in villages
and the rural areas.
There are transportation facilities like bus pick and in urban schools where as children in
rural areas have to walk miles to reach their schools
Basic amenities like no drinking water in provided in some of the schools in villages
Level of education in urban schools is far advanced as compared to the basic level taught in
rural schools
Computer education is given high importance in urban areas where as very few schools in
villages give computer training
Group classes are taken by using video conferencing and audio conferencing in urban
schools where as no such facilities are provided for students in rural schools
The teachers are given tools like laptops, printers to provide notes and other important
notices to the children in urban schools while there are no such facilities in the rural schools
School infrastructure in case of cities and urban areas is much more advanced as compared
to that in schools in rural areas where sometimes children are even made to sit on the floor due to non-availability of furniture
Apart from the course curriculum rural schools are not able to involve children in other
activities like sports, co-curricular activities and competitions. Such events and activities tend help in the overall development of the children
CONCLUSION:
In summary, there has been remarkable progress in increasing access to pre-school and elementary education in rural areas, particularly over the past ten years or so. Of course, several problems such as irregular attendance of children and teachers, low levels of time on task and gaps in provision still persist and the issue of how to ensure a quality education for all is paramount. But these challenges are being addressed and there are positive signs that the emphasis in major Government programmes such as SSA is shifting from universal enrolment to universal retention and quality. In tandem with this, there is also increasing attention being given to the governance of schools with the formation and functioning of VECs and more transparent processes for managing school resources. The next most pressing challenge is to increase access in rural areas to secondary education, particularly for girls, SC, ST, and minorities as well as improve access to technical and vocational education and skills. At this level of the education system the private sector is growing rapidly and playing the major role of service provider. But in both elementary and secondary education better services will only come about with greater expansion of infrastructure, both within and around schools.
REFERENCES:
1. Afridi, F. (2010), “The Impact of School Meals on School Participation: Evidence from Rural India”, Indian Statistical Institute Discussion Papers, No. 10-02. 2. Arora, P.,‖ The ICT laboratory: Analysis of computers in public high schools in rural India‖, AACE Journal, 15(1), 57-72. (2007) 3. Ashish Hattangdi and Prof. Atanu Ghosh,” Enhancing the quality and accessibility of higher education through the use of Information and Communication Technology 4. Garry Jacobs Vision 2020. Towards a Knowledge Society. Paper prepared for New Delhi: Planning Commission. 5. Banerji, R. and A. Mukherjee (2008), “Achieving Universal Elementary Education in India: Future Strategies for Ensuring Access, Quality and Finance”, Journal of Applied Economic Research, Vol. 2, No. 2. 6. Carnoy, M and Samioff, J., Education and Social Transition in the Third World (Princeton University Press, 1990). 7. Center for Knowledge Societies (2003), Rapid Assessment of ICTs for Education. EDC. Education for All: National Plan of Action, India 8. Chanana, Karuna (ed.) (2004), Transformative Links between Higher and Basic Education: Mapping the Field, Sage, New Delhi. 9. Drèze, Jean (1998), „Primary Priorities: Managing Meals‟, Times of India, April. 10. Gasperini, L.; Maguire, C. 2001. Targeting the rural poor: the role of education and training. Rome: FAO. 11. Naik, J.P. and Nurullah, S., A Students‟ History of Education in India (McMillan & Co., Bombay, 1975).
