Education is the food of life.
Elementary education stands to be an indispensable factor in the journey of a nation towards maximum development. India’s march towards progress has been backed by certain limitations among which depreciating standards of elementary education plays the pivotal role.Though the country has somehow managed to overcome its derogatory performance in the field of elementary education but still it has miles to go to achieve the crown of excellence.
Enrollment factor
One of the major hindrances in India’s progress in educational growth is preliminary enrollment in elementary education. Statistics prove that India has managed to shed off her ‘snake-charmer’ identity with its alarming advancement in enrollment but there is a vast difference between the figures and reality. The Gross Enrolment Ratio reports therefore serve a misleading document as there is a marked deviation in reality. Despite the Indian government ensuring certain provisions such as free elementary education,serving of noon meals for the students and grant of special incentives for girls,many children remain deprived of such benefits. One of the main reasons that keep children away from school and the boundaries of elementary education is parental negligence especially in the lower strata of the Indian society. Thus they remain unwilling to send their children to school as they can invest that school going time for their own benefits.
Dropouts
Though elementary education has achieved a certain degree of progress in India,but however the success is half way. Many children who have enrolled themselves as students cannot cross the boundaries of elementary education. Often under poverty conditions and family pressures they have to bid farewell to education and join the main course of family labor. This is especially evident in the case of girls.
School inefficiency
Schools are institutions that should cater to one’s complete development of mental and physical faculties. However government schools in Indian democracy do not meet this goal at all. The standard of education imparted is considerably degradable often raising the question in the minds of parents “Will this kind of education serves any economic interest for my child and my family”? It is perceived the parameters facilitating economic benefits are never achieved by the schools and thus students remain far behind in the domain of excellence as compared to privately run institutions.
Depressive performance of teachers
One of the main contributors to the poor condition of elementary education in India is the inefficiency of teachers. It has been proved that the students are not able to master texts suitable for standard five which they should have mastered at the second standard. The answer to this question rests solely with the inadequate performance of teachers. Teachers are the instruments that should inaugurate the phase of education in a child’s system in such a way that the student shall never think of departing the phase of education. However inadequately trained teachers and their detached motivation for their job have undermined the status of elementary education in India.
The primary issues with the elementary education in India is a vast incomprehensible domain that requires meticulous speculation and implementation. However if these main factors are taken into account then India will soon sing to the tunes of Pb Shelley, “if winter comes, can spring be far behind”?
