Editor’s pick: Preserving India's school education system

(The Editor's Pick is a new newsletter from The Hindu that provides a snapshot of the most important stories from today's edition of our newspaper, along with a note from our top editors on why we chose to give prominence to these stories.)

The Union Education Ministry has directed States to keep more relaxed norms for promoting school students to higher classes this year. This is to prevent students detained in lower classes over performance issues from dropping out of school, in a year that saw severe disruptions in the education system due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Centre has also asked States to conduct detailed surveys on school enrollments and access to education.

While some States have started face-to-face sessions for students in higher grades, the vast majority of India's school students have been at home for the period of the pandemic. Students and schools have been dependent on online modes of instruction. However, the use of technology brought in disparities in access to education, with poorer students and schools unable to ensure uniform access to resources online. The U.N. estimates that 86% of children at the primary level have been effectively out of school in poor countries, compared to just 20% in highly developed countries. Poorer countries have also used one-way media such as radio and television, while richer countries have used online classes. India has seen a mix, but with less effective forms of teaching happening more in the poorer communities. The learning gap that is caused by this leads to higher dropout rates, especially among poorer classes that are already vulnerable. Without physical schools, dropout prevention methods such as free noon meals are also not possible.

The Centre is hoping that identifying at-risk students in the 6-18 age group will enable targeted intervention. The Centre's new guidelines wants more resources and materials to reach students not only via TV/radio and online, but also by direct outreach. It is important that the pandemic does not erode the gains India has made in universal access to education in recent years. The Centre's guidelines are a step towards ensuring that, making this story important.

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