Facing a classroom struggle

Context: There has been a wrong perception about the shortage of teachers in public schools as the reason behind the struggling educational system in India. Any perceptions of teachers shortage represent their misallocation. 

Recognizing Actual Challenges: Neither pedagogically viable nor economically efficient.

• Falling enrolment: from 122 to just 99 pupils per school between 2010-11 and 2017-18. 
• The average number of pupils per school (having 100 or fewer students): dropped from 51 in 2010-11 to 45 in 2017-18.
• The number of schools having 100 or fewer students: increased from 57% to 68% between the same period.
• Low pupil-teacher ratio (PTR): 23, below the suggested norm of 30.

• Rise in cost per pupil: From average Rs 16,650 in 2010-11 to Rs 39,300 in 2017-2018 which is around 34% of per-capita GDP or 102% of per capita state GDP of Bihar.

• Overstated Enrolments: Recent CAG reports shows the overstatement of enrolments by 20% as a loophole used to maximize mid-day meal allocations of grains.

• Low student attendance: liberal estimates puts it at 80% on average.

• Low learning outcomes: Reports by NGO Pratham and National Achievement Survey are evidence of the low level of learning outcomes. 

• Unfair to the taxpayer: Low learning outcome and excessive expenditure on teachers (5 to 7 times per capita GDP).

• Failure of New Education Policy: Its recommendation of hiring a million teachers as a solution to poor learning outcomes is misplaced.

Way Forward: 

• Harmonize salary with learning outcomes 

• Preventing misallocation of teachers: Closing unviable schools and reallocating teachers where needed. Offering voluntary retirement or jobs elsewhere to teachers who do not wish to relocate.

• Transfer students: to nearby private schools at government expense to rationalize expenditure.