Northeast Schools Fail Norms Test

RAJIV KONWAR

Guwahati, Jan 20 : The Assessment Survey Evaluation Report (ASER) 2010, conducted across the country, has revealed that a large number of rural schools of the Northeast have failed to meet the infrastructure norms of Right to Education Act.

The report of the survey, which carried out by Pratham in the rural areas with the help of local organisations or institutions, was released recently by Vice-President Hamid Ansari in New Delhi. Pratham is the largest NGO working to provide quality education to the underprivileged children of the country.

The report has revealed that 38.5 per cent schools in Assam do not have playgrounds, 80.7 per cent do not have boundary walls, 23.2 per cent do not have drinking water facility, 19.1 per cent do not have toilet facility and 79.2 per cent schools do not have library facilities.

The report has revealed that five per cent children in the age group of six to 14 years are out of school (the children who have dropped out and never enrolled). While with 13.2 per cent Tinsukia district has the highest number of out of school children, Hailakandi has the lowest dropouts (1.6 per cent).

According to the report, only 13.8 per cent schools in Meghalaya, 43.3 per cent schools in Nagaland, 35.5 per cent schools in Mizoram, 11.1 per cent schools in Manipur, 25.1 per cent schools in Arunachal Pradesh and 14.5 per cent schools in Sikkim have boundary walls.

Absence of a library in the schools is most alarming. Around 93.6 per cent schools in Mizoram, 78 per cent schools in Meghalaya, 90.8 per cent schools in Manipur, 87 per cent schools in Arunachal Pradesh, 55.9 per cent schools in Sikkim and 86.7 per cent schools in Nagaland do not have libraries to fulfil the criteria of the Right to Education Act.

Similarly, the report has shown that there is no drinking water facility in 56.9 per cent schools in Nagaland, 47.3 per cent schools in Mizoram, 70.6 per cent schools in Meghalaya, 84.6 per cent schools in Manipur, 36.9 per cent schools in Arunachal Pradesh and 11.6 per cent schools in Sikkim.

The report has also shown that the percentage of dropouts between six to 14 years of age in Assam and Meghalaya is more that the national average. While the national average is 3.5, the percentage for Assam and Meghalaya is five and 7.2 respectively. On the other hand, the percentages for the other states are 25 for Arunachal Pradesh, 1.8 for Manipur, 2.2 for Mizoram and Nagaland and 1.9 for Sikkim.

During the survey, it has also came to light that a large number of students of the Northeast attend paid tuition classes outside their schools. Around 12.9 per cent students in Arunachal Pradesh, 20.7 per cent in Assam, 42.5 per cent students in Manipur, 16.1 per cent in Meghalaya, 5.6 per cent in Mizoram, 17.9 per cent in Nagaland and 26.9 per cent in Sikkim attend tuition classes. On the national level, the average is 26.3 per cent.

“The state government does not care for the improvement of the schools. The education sector in Assam is the most neglected,” Hitesh Deka, principal of K.C. Das Commerce College here, said.

“The state government has left the government schools to die a natural death. That is why the schools are suffering from poor infrastructure and lack of facilities,” he added.