The document proposes solutions to improve the quality of primary education in India. It notes several issues with the current system, such as low learning outcomes, lack of infrastructure, and shortage of qualified teachers. The proposed solution involves enhancing early childhood education through exposure to various subjects and activities. It also recommends adopting different teaching methods suited to each child's learning style. Schools would be clustered and share resources while local teachers would be trained and incentivized. The impact could include better learning outcomes and engagement of rural teachers, while challenges include changing perceptions of teaching and effective technology transfer.

1. Stepping Stones: Enhancing
the quality of primary
education
CONTENTS
CURRENT SCENARIO CONCERNED ISSUES
PROPOSED SOLUTION IMPACTS AND CHALLENGES
Team Satanics
Anusha Mandavilli (XLRI)
Anushri Bansal (IIM Shillong)
Mrigendranath Debsarma (XLRI)
Nancy Goyal (XLRI)
Ravi Goyal (IIM Calcutta)

2. Team Satanics
Primary Education in India
Indian education system
• Nursery
• LKG
• UKG
Pre Primary
• Class 1 to
Class 5 (Age
6-11)
Primary
• Class 6 to
Class 10 (Age
11-15)
Secondary
• Class 11 to
Class 12 (Age
16-17)
Higher
Secondary • 3-4-5 year
courses
Undergraduat
e
• 1-2-3 year
courses
Post
Graduate
Enrolment
rate Scale
If-100 71 40 21
Some of the changes that Indian school system witnessed includes:
• Approx. 3.5 lakh schools opened over last decade
• 99% of India’s rural population has school within a Km radius
• 11 million more children are enrolled from 2009-10 to 2011-12
• Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan budget has increased from Approx. Rs. 13k Crore in 2009-
10 to Rs. 27k Crore in 2013-14
Current
Scenario
Concerned
Issues
Proposed
Solution
Impact and
challenges

3. Team Satanics
Despite such a huge expenditure and so many govt. schemes,
• Enrolment rate drastically decreases from primary to secondary to higher education
• Among enrolled students, attendance ratio has been 85%
• Average schooling years by Indian kid is 5.1 yrs (Pak- 5.6, Bangladesh- 5.8, US (12.6)
• 53.2 % students in class V cannot read class II level text and declining (by ASER)
• Over 99% of 7.95 lakh teachers failed Central Teacher Eligibility Test
• Infrastructure including electricity, drinking water, toilets etc. are in bad shape
Government Schemes and Issues
Flagship Schemes of MHRD for
Primary Education where
expenditure is most:
• Mid day meal
• Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan
• Teachers training institution
• National bal Bhawan
Current
Scenario
Concerned
Issues
Proposed
Solution
Impact and
challenges

4. Team Satanics
Reducing the learning gap
• The improvement in infrastructure and schemes like mid-day meal has drastically
improved enrolment rate but learning outcome rates are drastically lagging behind
• Our education system is focused on exams and marks and is little concerned about
actual learning
Teachers
• Teachers are the missing link in Indian education. The teaching profession has
become a profession of last resort attracting either low calibre individuals or people
for whom teaching is a hobby or only a supplementary source of family income.
Lack of Infrastructure and resources
• Lack of toilets lead to drop outs of girls
• Lack of options for secondary education nearby also is a motivating factor for more
dropouts
Concerning Issues
Current
Scenario
Concerned
Issues
Proposed
Solution
Impact and
challenges

5. Team Satanics
Tree Concept
Primary Education (Building Foundation <10 yrs)
• Exposure to Sports (Showing cricket matches,
swimming, hockey, chess, etc. and their videos)
• Exposure to universe/science/concept through visits to
science city, museums, videos, etc
• Teach agriculture, carpentry, computer, etc. (Video etc.)
• Teach music concepts, dance classes, painting, etc.
• Teaching basic Maths, English and Language through
books and Art, play way, etc.
Secondary Education (All knowledge 11-14 yrs)
• Book and practical teaching of all the subjects
• Continuous feedback in terms of gauging his interest
Higher Secondary/Undergraduate (Deciding focus >14 yrs)
• Gauge his talent and allow him to choose the field he
wants to go in, be it literary, engineering, medical,
hospitality, agriculture, sports, etc
• Provide facilities (Both theoretical and practical) to let
him specialise him in the sector with full focus and
succeed at international level
Current
Scenario
Concerned
Issues
Proposed
Solution
Impact and
challenges

6. Team Satanics
Adapt the learning to
each child
• Each child has a dominant learning
style – VAK (Visual or Auditory or
Kinaesthetic)
• Therefore, each new concept
should be taught in multiple ways
to reinforce and cater to each
child’s dominant learning style
Educate to Learn
Increase Education
through learning
• Impart knowledge through
activities like visits to museums,
sports matches, outbound trips,
games, plays, Videos, movies
• The values with particular emphasis
on moral values should be taught
using the local folklore and books
like Panchtantra
Let Child be exposed to all the sports, movies, swimming. Painting, carpentry, etc. and
allow him to decide preferably what he wants to study in secondary level
Current
Scenario
Concerned
Issues
Proposed
Solution
Impact and
challenges

7. Team Satanics
Use cluster school
system with private
schools
• Each core school should be a
private school to better facilitate
transfer of knowledge, technology
• Sharing of resources like books
would be possible
• More accountability of teachers as
there would be central
Educate to Learn
Provide Proper
Infrastructure
• Proper bathrooms should be
provided as it is the major source
of dropouts for girls
• E-toilets should be provided
• Drinking water facility should be
provided
Provide collective books to schools, well managed infrastructure to school, given such a
huge spending
B
C
E
D
School
A
Private
School
Current
Scenario
Concerned
Issues
Proposed
Solution
Impact and
challenges

8. Team Satanics
Implementation Plan
Teachers
• Local teachers should be hired
• Proper training program to train local teachers with other school teachers
• Teachers should be provided training in basic behavioural skills in order to
deal with children
• Performance – linked pay should be brought in
Governance Policies
• Make learning outcomes(functional literacy and numeracy) an explicit goal of
primary education policy
• Invest in regular and independent high-quality measurement of learning
outcomes instead of setting the education indicators such as school access,
infrastructure, enrolment rate
• Pay urgent attention to issues of teacher governance including better
monitoring & supervision as well as teacher performance measurement and
management
Current
Scenario
Concerned
Issues
Proposed
Solution
Impact and
challenges

9. Team Satanics
Impact
Better Learning Outcomes (financial literacy and numeracy)
Since, now each concept is
taught using multiple
techniques like audio,
video and some activity
better learning outcomes
of the children
Capturing local teachers:
> Many rural teachers have
the desire to teach. They
are interested in acquiring
new skills and are more
open to inculcating
innovativeness in children
> This will also help in
increase the number of
teachers and thus
increasing student-teacher
ratio
Infrastructure and resources
These are shared by the
use of cluster system,
therefore better availability
of these to everyone
Current
Scenario
Concerned
Issues
Proposed
Solution
Impact and
challenges
Impact

10. Team Satanics
Challenges
Changing the
perception of
jobs of teacher
to a coveted
job
Lack of
transfer of
technology
from urban to
rural areas
Teaching
methods
inculcated
discourage
creativity
Low inclination
towards
teaching of
next
generation
Current
Scenario
Concerned
Issues
Proposed
Solution
Impact and
challenges
Challenges

11. Team Satanics
References
• UNICEF statistics on Indian Education
• Statistics on Elementary School Education in Rural India, Vikas
Rawal, Review of Agrarian studies
• World bank data on School enrollment
• Forbes India- Primary Education in India needs a fix
• IDFC report on Public expenditure on Education in India
• Agastya International foundation report on Primary Education
• Opinions from thehindu.com
• Articles from livemint.com
• Ideas for India: The case of primary education in India
References