ELECTIONS '98
COMMENTARY
SPECIALS
INTERVIEWS
CAPITAL BUZZ
REDIFF POLL
DEAR REDIFF
THE STATES
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The Rediff Special/ Purshottam Das Chitlangia

There is a vast gap between required funds and funds available

Even if we presume that all the 10 crore (100 million) children attend school up to primary level, ie class V, we will have a backlog of approximately 1-2 crore (10-20 million) children to whom we have to provide basic education.

Added to this, we have to provide for the new-born population. If we want that all the children in this county should get quality primary education and we want to wipe out the existing backlog, we need additional primary schools and classrooms to accommodate and educate over 2 crore (20 million) children each year. Primary education system covers a period of five years and, therefore, the total capacity of primary schools should be for over 10 crore (100 million) children. We next work out the cost of education per child in the formal school by providing for essential learning conditions.

If we plan for providing one classroom of 600 square feet and one qualified primary school teacher for each group of 40 children, then for taking care of the education of 10 crore children 25 lakh (2.5 million) teachers and 25 lakh classrooms will be required. As of now about 15 lakh (1.5 million) classrooms are available in the county for imparting primary education.

The cost of constructing an additional classroom including blackboard, furniture and other learning materials works out to be Rs 240,000 at the modest rate of Rs 400 per square feet. As per the latest pay scales announced by the Government, the annual financial liability on the State per teacher is about Rs 100,000. Over and above the capital expenditure, the cost of schooling per child, therefore, works out to be Rs 2,500 per year if we include the salary component alone. In addition to meeting the salary of primary school teachers, the State has to meet the cost of pre-service training of about 150,000 new teachers each year and also for the reorientation training of one-fifth of the total number of teachers if each teacher has to undergo refresher training once every five years.

The 1997-1998 revised combined budget allocation for primary education of the Centre and the states is only about Rs 20,000 crore (200 billion), and there is a vast gap between the required funds and the funds available.

I cannot foresee such gigantic budget provision for primary education in the near future. It is most unlikely and, therefore, a serious consideration is to look for an alternate way whereby the cost per student can be brought down.

Inordinate emphasis on formal education system, without the involvement of local community, is another major reason for not achieving the required literacy level and, therefore, this approach is totally misplaced. The community being the main stakeholder in the education of its children has to play a proactive role in ensuring that the schools run by the State for its children perform at an optimum level.

What is the way out?

The education that doesn't create the moral fabric of a nation based on its cultural heritage is no education

The Rediff Specials

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