In a Class of Its Own
Robust infrastructure in state-run schools prompts a jump in student enrolment; literacy rate, too, has improved
When Raghubar Das took over as Jharkhand chief minister in December 2014, he learnt that not even 10 per cent of the 34,939 state-run primary and middle schools provided benches to students. “I decided this could not continue,” says Das. His government soon placed an order for over a million benches. Today, all public schools in the state not only have benches, but also toilets, electricity and drinking water supply. That’s not all. About 95 per cent of government schools have libraries.
The impact of these efforts is more than apparent. Jharkhand achieved a Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) of over 100 per cent in primary, upper primary and elementary schools.
The GER is over 100 per cent among both boys and girls from Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.
In the 2001 Census, the literacy rate stood at 53.6 per cent. For females, it was an abysmal 38.9 per cent. By 2011, the literacy rate shot up to 66.4 per cent; female literacy went up to 55.4 per cent. Officials expect another 15 percentage point increase by the next census.
From academic year 2018-19, the government has linked school development grants to student enrolments. Schools with enrolments above 100 per cent will get annual grants of Rs 50,000-100,000. The incentive was Rs 7,00010,000 earlier.
In 2016-17, Jharkhand had 47,749 schools, about 3.3 per cent of the total schools in India. In 2017-18, 1,800 schools were added, increasing its national contribution to 3.7 per cent.
The pupil-teacher ratio (PTR) at the primary level has improved from 34 students per teacher in 2013-14 to 29 in 2017-18. At the upper primary, elementary and secondary levels, the PTRs improved from 48, 42 and 74 respectively in 2013-14 to 42, 36 and 66 respectively in 2017-18.
According to the All India Survey on Higher Education (AISHE) 201718, Jharkhand had 18 universities, eight of which were government-run. In the past one year, three private universities have been launched. ■