Source: Hueiyen News Service
Imphal, May 28 2009:
With 96.7 percent of Class I and II students being able to read and write, Manipur ranks third among the lists of Indian states recorded with the highest presence of children able to read and write, and is named one among the states which have been successful in elementary education system, according to an Annual State of Education Report (ASER), 2008 .
Speaking at the State Level Dissemination and Training as part of the Annual State of Education Report, 2008 organised by ASER Manipur Team today at Hotel Krishna, Paona Bazar, Reasearch Associate Mohit Anand said that though there have been government schools everywhere in the state, the schools have failed its duties.
Anand said that children of the state have been admitted to private schools due to undutiful teachers of government schools.
Though this seems good at one side, it is bad on the side.
96.7 percent of children between the age of 6 and 14 have studied in private schools which is more than fifty percent.
Children of pre-school stage at the age group of 3-4 admitted in schools are only 40.3 percent, Anand further observed.
At an average, the quality in elementary education is below average in the land.
Infrastructural shortage is perceptible in government schools which is more abrasive in hill areas, Anand said.
The member of ASER Manipur, W Premchand said that ASER has been closely observing the elementary education in all districts of the state.
The study has been carried out within parameters like basic reading, basic arithmetic, and time consciousness.
According to the report obtained from the survey, 2.6 children between the ages of 6-14 dropped studies out of every hundred children against the national average of 8.3 percent school drop out rate in between the ages given, Premchand noted.
In Manipur, 19.7 percent of students of Standard III to V were unable to read the text of Class I level.
The programme was attended by ASER Regional Coordinators of Nagaland, Mizoram, Manipur, NGOs and members of ASER Manipur.