This document proposes solutions to address high dropout rates and low learning levels in primary schools in India. It suggests implementing a District School Monitoring Body (DSMB) and a school magazine called PAHAL. The DSMB would monitor teacher performance, regulate norms, and address complaints. PAHAL would be published monthly in local languages and feature material at different reading levels to develop students' skills and serve as communication between schools and parents. The proposals aim to increase accountability, engagement of stakeholders, and improve learning outcomes.

1. Stepping Stones
• Ashish Kumar
• Kshitiz Swaroop
• Mahesh Kumar
• Mahesh Yadav
• Rohit Nijhawan

2. Reading and Learning levels are a cause of
serious concern. More than half of all Std. 5
children are at least 3 grade levels behind
where they should be; also lacking basic
arithmetic and English skills
Pressing Issues
Data suggests that students of minority and
some special social categories are dropping
out of the schools (ST 34.37%, SC 31.04%) at
a higher rate than the national average
which is 9.11% for year 2008/09
• Learning Levels
0
20
40
%Dropouts
Category Dropout Rates
National Average ST SC
National primary level dropout trends, by year National primary level dropout trends, by grade
Only 61 out of 100 students
admitted into class 1 reach 6th
standard
• School Dropouts
• Social Stigma
Source: http://schooldropoutprevention.com; http://www.asercentre.org/; www.nird.org.in

3. Possible Causes
• Absence of accountability and monitoring
• Infrastructural Issues
• Unavailability of requisite drinking water and toilet facilities, classrooms
and libraries seems to be affecting the average student performance.
• Current system does not allow fast availability of teaching-assisting
material like globes, chart, maps etc.
• Teacher- student ratio in most schools stands in direct violation of RTE
Norms
On the ground level of implementation, current
primary education system is not much
accountable towards its stakeholders.
Teachers, which are the driving elements of the
system are observed to be absent from
classrooms and their performance is not
monitored.
Current system also does not involve parents of
students into it.
• Deteriorating quality of govt. education system
• Percentage of children going to private institutions is observed to be increasing
• Children in government schools who go to private tutors is18.8% in 2012, while it
is only 6% for children going to private schools
“The percentage of 6 to14 year olds enrolled in private schools rose from 18.7% in 2006 to 25.6% in 2011. This year this number has
further increased to 28.3%”- ASER Report 2012
Source: http://www.asercentre.org/education/India/status/p/143.html
Source:
http://www.asercentre.org/education/India/status/
p/143.html

4. Outline of Proposed Solution
We are proposing a two-tier solution which includes:
• Introduction of a District level School Monitoring Body (DSMB)
• Introduction of a School Magazine ‘PAHAL (पहल)‘
o A new body constituting Elected representative from District Council (Zila
Parishad), retired education officials/teachers and people from registered
NGO’s will be formed
o It will be a monitoring body working at district. Its task will include
monitoring the performance of teachers and schools, regulating
implementation of RTE indicators and other norms at schools
o This body will also act on complains from public domains about
administration and working of primary education system
o A new magazine for primary school students having two modules (one for
class I,II and III and other for class IV,V)
o The material will be published in local language which requires low
readiness levels so that everyone having it can read it
o It will also serve as a medium of communication between school
administration and children guardians and will try to make system
accountable toward its stakeholders
o It also includes material for children guardians, to make them aware
about issues of national importance and about the importance of
education of their children

5. School Magazine “Pahal (पहल) “
Data suggests that every I out of 3 students attending government schools find
their class textbooks difficult to understand and unavailability of alternative
printed material further decreases their scope to learn.
Source: http://www.asercentre.org/p/79.html
• It will be a magazine having very low
readiness levels and printed in home
language with the aim that everyone
having it should be able to read the
content
• Serve the purpose of communication
between teachers and parents
• Serve as a medium to transfer student
performance report to parents
A monthly magazine can also serve the purpose of communication between
the teachers and literate parents
Salient Features of ‘Pahal’
Main focus of the magazine is to develop readiness level, basic arithmetic and
reasoning skills of students and preventing the sense of alienation in the students
who can not read their standard's textbooks
W
H
Y

6. Implementation Details For ‘PAHAL’
Modules Module I - for students of class I,II and III (10-15 Pages)
Module II - for class IV and V (10-15 Pages)
Note: Care will be taken to ensure that the material is politically correct.
Content Content in the magazine will be added at two different levels
through a 2-tier editorial team.
• Common material will be prepared by state education
department of corresponding states for both modules
• Specific material like students performance parameters for
particular students and other school level issues will be added
locally at school level (1-2 Pages)
Content readiness
level distribution:
Module I - 90% material of Std. 1 and 10% material of Std. II
Module II- 80% material of Std. II and 20% material of Std. III
Content
Detail
Module I - Std 1: Nursery and kindergarten contents, introduction
to basic mathematics, letter (अक्षर) reading and writing
Std II: word making, counting, small stories poems
Module II- Std II: short stories and poems, Number and word
games, introductory content to basic arithmetic
Std III: numerical puzzles, writings about national issues and
national leaders, application oriented math's and English content
Common: It will also have some common content targeted to
guardians of students, viz. articles on issues of national or local
importance, relevance of education (2-3 Pages)
Repeatability Monthly

7. District School Monitoring Body (DSMB)
The current system lacks accountability towards its stakeholders and is also
not monitored properly. Elements of current system do not have much to
loose or gain of their personal interest from their performance
W
H
Y
Salient Features of DSMB:
• It will bring effective decentralization and efficient administration into the
current system.
• Facilitate quick fulfilment of minor infrastructural needs
• Maintain online and offline complaint system and work as a fast action
team for complaints about teachers and school administration in district
Hiring Assignment Supervision Promotion Dismissal
Existing Done by
State
Done by State Little on None in
records
_______________ Almost Never
Proposed Done by state
on
recommenda
tion from
DSMB and ZP
Done by DSMG
on
recommendation
from ZP
Recommendations
from ZP to DSMB,
Direct complain
mechanism to
DSMB
After 3 year , on
recommendation
of School
Headmaster and
DSMB
At will when stage
I, At cause on
Stage II on
recommendation
from ZP and DSMB
Proposed Teacher Recruitment and Training Scheme
DSMB Advocate decentralized recruitment of teachers on II levels, initial temporary assignment (Stage
I) and then performance based promotion to Permanent (Stage II)
GP: Gram Panchayat, ZP: Zila Parisad

8. Implementation Details For DSMB
Composition 11 Core Team
ZP(1)+District education officer (1)+ Retired
teachers /current education officials(9)
10 from NGO’s+ BDO’s
Recruitment ZP member nominated by ZP chairmen
District education officer by State
3 members by previous year officials
Application's for these
posts will be accepted,
final appointment by core
team
Regulation 9 Retired teachers /current education
officer will have 3 year tenure
3 Members retire from team after every 3
years, team composition- (6+3)
2 Years
Responsibilities Monitor teachers attendance (Biometric)
and performance, school administration in
District, assuring the fulfilment of small
infrastructural needs which can be done on
district level,
Act on complains from public domain
Monitor Effective Working
of Core Team,
Helping core team in
decision making and
monitoring admiration
DSMB will constitute of 11(2+9) core team members and 10 non core(NGO)
members. Initial team recruitment will be done by State Education Departments
and Zila Parishad
DSMB will also invite a private consultant (recommended by state)on yearly basis
to monitor DSMB’s performance and find scope of development in performance
of District education system

9. Impact
PAHAL
• Develop readiness level, basic arithmetic , application oriented mathematics ,
English and reasoning skills of students
• Save students with low readiness levels from being alienated by providing
them additional printed material with basic readiness levels and local
language
• Make guardians and parents of students, aware about issues of national or
local importance and importance of education
• Serve as a medium of communication between education bodies, teachers
and parents
District School Monitoring Body (DSMB)
• Work as a Monitoring body including local administration in education
system
• Expected increase in attendance of teachers in schools
• Effective administration by introduction of a fast complaint system
• Fast fulfillment of small infrastructural needs
• Expected increase in performance of teachers in schools because of 2 tier
recruitment system and local involvement

10. • http://www.asercentre.org/education/India/status/p/143.html
• http://schooldropoutprevention.com
• http://www.asercentre.org/p/79.html
• www.nird.org.in
• planningcommission.nic.in/reports/peoreport/peoevalu/peo_ssa2106.pdf‎
• www.ssa.nic.in
• www.asercentre.org/p/62.html
References