Latest news with #UnifiedDistrictInformationSystemforEducation
Time of India
5 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
State far behind in school digital access, reveals govt data
Bhopal: Govt schools in the state remain far behind national standards in digital education infrastructure, despite the state's claims of major investment in IT-enabled learning. The latest UDISE report by the Union education ministry reveals stark gaps in facilities such as digital libraries, smart classrooms, and projectors — particularly in rural and semi-urban areas. Out of 92,439 schools across the state, just 823 -- barely 0.9% -- have digital libraries. This is far lower than the national average of 6.1%, and well behind Maharashtra, where 8% of schools are equipped with such facilities. The UDISE, or Unified District Information System for Education, is a comprehensive database that collects and maintains data on schools across the country. Digital resource distribution remains inconsistent across the state's educational institutions. The state confronts considerable obstacles in upgrading its school infrastructure, especially in rural and semi-urban regions. Students face limitations in accessing modern learning materials and online resources due to insufficient digital libraries. The considerable difference between Madhya Pradesh and other states indicates an immediate requirement for targeted action. Maharashtra's success rate shows the feasibility of digital integration within the region. "Several factors contribute to this disparity, including budgetary constraints, infrastructure limitations, and technical expertise shortages," a school principal said on condition of anonymity. Fundamental infrastructure issues continue, with numerous schools lacking reliable internet connectivity and computer laboratories. The current teacher training initiatives remain superficial, despite their potential significance in developing digital literacy and supporting educators with technology integration. The smart classroom situation in Madhya Pradesh remains suboptimal, with 11.6% (10,756) of schools having Digital Boards, Smart Boards, Virtual Classrooms, or Smart TV facilities, significantly below the 21.2% national average. Neighbouring Chhattisgarh shows better results with 18.5% smart classroom implementation. Regarding projector availability, only 3% (2,745) of 92,439 Madhya Pradesh schools possess functional units, substantially below the 15% national average. Neighbouring Chhattisgarh maintains superior statistics with 11% of schools equipped with functional projectors. The limited projector availability in Madhya Pradesh schools exemplifies substantial digital infrastructure deficiencies. This situation reflects wider issues in implementing contemporary teaching tools across educational institutions. Rural schools particularly struggle with essential technological requirements. The substantial gap between Madhya Pradesh's 3% and the national 15% average demonstrates an urgent requirement for educational technology enhancement. This shortfall impacts educational delivery quality and restricts students' engagement with digital learning approaches. The UDISE report, or Unified District Information System for Education report, is a comprehensive database on school education in India. It is managed by the Department of School Education & Literacy, Ministry of Education, and maintained by the National Informatics Centre. The report collects and disseminates data on schools, teachers, infrastructure, and student enrolment to support education planning and development.
Indian Express
6 days ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
Why Uttar Pradesh will merge government schools with low enrolment despite opposition
The Uttar Pradesh government's recent decision to merge government schools with low enrolment has drawn flak from the opposition. Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav and Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra attacked the BJP government in the state, saying school mergers will make it difficult for children from poor and marginalised sections, particularly girls, to access education. The move has prompted protests from teachers and parents in the state. Since then, the Allahabad High Court has either dismissed petitions against the move or upheld the government decision. Here is what to know. In June, the UP Basic Education Department asked district-level officials to prepare a database of schools with low enrolment, along with mapping the nearest school where better infrastructure and resources are available, with the intention of 'pairing' the two schools. Officials have been mapping schools with enrolment below 50. The state's reasoning was the better utilisation of resources and teachers. The infrastructure that remains after the merger will be used to set up Balvatikas, or pre-primary classes. School mergers, seen as contentious, have been carried out in the past in UP and other states. A NITI Aayog project launched in 2017 in Odisha, MP and Jharkhand sought to introduce reforms in school education in these states. As part of the project, 4,600 schools with low enrolment were merged in Jharkhand, around 36,000 schools were reorganised into 16,000 schools in MP, and 1,800 schools were reorganised in Odisha. With the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 calling for the setup of school complexes or clusters and sharing resources for their effective utilisation, states have been merging schools with low enrolment in recent years. Over the past two years, the Education Ministry has also alerted the states about the declining enrolment at the primary and upper-primary levels in government schools. Consequently, the number of government schools has fallen across several states/UTs. In UP, for instance, data from the Unified District Information System for Education portal UDISE+ shows that the number of government schools fell from 1.63 lakh in 2018-19 to 1.37 lakh in 2023-24. Over this period, the state also saw a rise in private schools from 87,433 to 96,635. Similarly, in MP, government schools fell from 1.22 lakh to 92,439 over this period, while Odisha saw a drop from 55,483 to 48,671. Why were the government schools set up? Previous national policies and schemes on education have focused on ensuring universal elementary education (up to class 8). These have drawn on a mention of providing free and compulsory education to all children up to the age of 14 in the Directive Principles of the Constitution, and then Article 21A of the Constitution, which inserted this as a fundamental right in 2002. The 1986 National Policy on Education said that it gives 'unqualified priority to universalization of elementary education'. The Centre's Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) was launched in 2000-01 with this aim, and SSA funds were used to set up elementary schools. Nearly a decade later, the Right to Education Act (RTE) of 2009 guaranteed the right of 6- to 14-year-old children (class 1 to 8) to free and compulsory education in a 'neighbourhood' school. The RTE Act specifies that the appropriate government shall establish a school within the limits of each neighbourhood within three years of the Act's commencement. Subsequently, the RTE rules framed by the Centre in 2010, to implement the Act, specified the limits of a neighbourhood within which schools are to be set up – for classes 1 to 5, a school was to be established within 1 km of the neighbourhood, and for classes 6 to 8, a school was to be established within 3 km of the neighbourhood. In turn, when the states framed their RTE rules, they reiterated this and added specifications in some cases. The RTE rules for UP, for instance, say that for classes 1 to 5, a school shall be established within 1 km of a habitation which has a population of at least 300. For classes 6 to 8, this was a population of at least 800. In guidelines issued in 2011, the Centre said that the rationale behind establishing neighbourhood schools was to ensure universal access to elementary education, which requires schooling facilities within reasonable reach of all children. If schools are not located in or near the neighbourhood, children may not complete schooling even if they are formally enrolled in school, the Centre had reasoned. The need for 'neighbourhood' schools was noted by the Kothari Commission in its 1968 report. The Centre set up a commission headed by scientist and former University Grants Commission chairman, DS Kothari, that looked into all aspects of education from 1964 to 1966. Observing that only 85% students transferred from class 4 to 5, the report identified the non-availability of higher primary schools in the neighbourhood as one of the reasons for drop-out at this stage. The 'neighbourhood' school was also meant to serve another purpose. The commission noted that the neighbourhood school plan should be adopted as a step towards eliminating the segregation that now takes place 'between the schools for the poor and the underprivileged classes, and those for the rich and privileged ones.' 'The neighbourhood school concept implies that each school should be attended by all children in the neighbourhood irrespective of caste, creed, community, religion, economic condition or social status, so that there would be no segregation in schools,' the commission said. What has changed in the years since? The focus on elementary school enrolment, with the RTE Act and Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, meant that several primary and upper primary schools have been set up with the aim of universal enrolment at that level. NEP 2020, however, also points to a resultant problem. While these efforts have 'helped to ensure near-universal access to primary schools, it has also led to the development of numerous very small schools,' it says. It referred to UDISE 2016-17 data, which showed that 28% of government primary schools and 14.8% of upper primary schools have less than 30 students. In 2023-24, UDISE+ data showed that 12,954 schools had zero enrolment, while 1,10,971 schools had only a single teacher. In 2016-17, a lower number of 1,08,017 schools had a single teacher. 'These small school sizes have rendered it economically suboptimal and operationally complex to run good schools, in terms of deployment of teachers as well as the provision of critical physical resources. Teachers often teach multiple grades at a time, and teach multiple subjects, including subjects in which they may have no prior background; key areas such as music, arts, and sports are too often simply not taught; and physical resources, such as lab and sports equipment and library books, are simply not available across schools,' the NEP states. Pointing out that the 'isolation' of small schools affects education, the NEP called for states/UTs to address these challenges by 2025 by grouping or rationalising schools, along with setting up school complexes or clusters to share resources. The concept of a 'school complex' was also part of the Kothari Commission Report of 1968. Why is the merger of schools contentious? Teachers' groups, politicians in the Opposition, and petitions in the Allahabad HC have opposed the mergers, saying students would have to go longer distances to get to school if the neighbourhood one is merged with another, making access more difficult, particularly for girls, and increasing the likelihood of drop-outs. A petition in the HC by parents of students in UP's Sitapur refers to the merger as a violation of the UP RTE Rules, which state that schools shall be within a distance of 1 km for children in classes 1-5. The HC dismissed the petition after pointing out that a literal interpretation of the Rules would result in absurdity since there are limitations on land and resources. Elementary school enrolment, meanwhile, is not yet universal. UDISE+ 2023-24 shows that the gross enrolment ratio (GER — enrolment at a level of education compared to the population of the age-group which is appropriate for that level of education), at the elementary level (classes 1 to 8) is 91.7%.
India.com
10-07-2025
- General
- India.com
Delhi Government Schools soon to have one compulsory English Medium section for all classes
New Delhi: The Directorate of Education (DoE) has directed all government schools to have at least one English-medium section for every class, as per its latest notification. These directions will come into effect from the current academic session of should note that all subjects will be taught in English, except those offered in regional languages, to provide a linguistically immersive learning experience. The main idea behind the order is to address the concerns of parents who believe that English instructions contribute more effectively in equipping the children for higher education and careers in professional and technical fields like science and technology. Admissions to these sections will be based on the willingness and ability of the students, as stated by the DoE. It has also instructed the heads of the schools to update the official records accordingly and reflect the change on the portal of Unified District Information System for Education (UDISE). Proper implementation of the new order: District and zonal officers will be responsible for ensuring that schools are complying with the instructions previously issued by the DoE between 2014 and 2018 on the same matter, and for providing assistance if needed in their implementation. Additional Information about DoE's actions: In its earlier notification, the DoE also approved the introduction of skills/ National Skills Qualification Framework (NSQF) subjects in about 257 government schools in Delhi in the current academic year. It aimed to integrate vocational education with the general education system and boost the vocational aptitude of the students. These subjects that were part of Samagra Shiksha scheme, designed to provide students with practical knowledge and employable skill set along with their regular academic studies.
India Today
10-07-2025
- Politics
- India Today
Delhi government schools to introduce one English medium section in every class
The Delhi government has directed all its schools to introduce at least one English-medium section in every class, beginning from the current academic year to broaden access to English-medium education. This initiative, announced by the Directorate of Education (DoE), aims to lay a stronger academic foundation for students eyeing careers in science, technology, and to a circular issued on Tuesday, every Delhi government school must now ensure that, apart from regional language subjects, all other subjects in these designated sections are taught in English. Admission to these sections will depend on both the willingness and the aptitude of directive is an extension of earlier instructions issued in 2014 and 2018. It also mandates school heads to provide sufficient teaching and learning resources in English and to update all related records — including the Unified District Information System for Education (UDISE) portal — to reflect the change. To ensure smooth implementation, district and zonal education officials have been tasked with regular monitoring and offering support where needed. The transition to English medium will be rolled out gradually, extending up to Class 12 in a phased approach.(With PTI inputs)- Ends
Time of India
09-07-2025
- General
- Time of India
Govt transport facilities lifeline for edu in Maha villages without schools, says minister Bhuse
Pune: Lawmakers seem to have different views about the situation of school education in the state's rural parts. While Parner MLA Kashinath Date recently told the Assembly that 8,123 villages across Maharashtra do not have either primary or upper primary schools, presenting a grim situation for rural education, school education minister Dada Bhuse said the statistics were "partially true" and that children were not missing out on education as the state govt was providing a facility to transport them to nearby villages that have schools. Date had based his statement in the Assembly on statistics from the Union education ministry's Unified District Information System for Education (UDISE) that collects data from all recognised and unrecognised schools in India — from pre-primary to Std XII. The data showed that of the 8,123 Maharashtra villages mentioned by UDISE, 1,650 had no primary schools and 6,563 no upper primary schools. You Can Also Check: Pune AQI | Weather in Pune | Bank Holidays in Pune | Public Holidays in Pune In his written reply to the Assembly, Bhuse said the statistics were "partially true", because state govt provided services to transport students to nearby villages that have schools. He said: "The children are not missing out on education because of unavailability of schools in their villages. We have made adequate transport arrangements to ensure schooling for such children in nearby villages." Bhuse said: "According to Part 3 Section 6 (3) (1) of the Right to Education Act, 2009, transportation facility is provided under Samagra Shiksha to students from settlements where schools are not available within the prescribed area limits — 1km for primary level, 3km for upper primary and 5km for secondary levels". Senior officials in the education department said a provision of Rs 60,000 has been sanctioned for transportation facilities at the rate of Rs 600 per student for 10 months. An official said a detailed survey would soon be conducted to assess the educational needs of the villages without schools and, accordingly, new schools would be planned in such villages. As per the UDISE data, the situation is grim in the Ratnagiri, Parbhani, Yavatmal, Solapur and Ahmednagar regions where maximum number of villages lack schools, said Date. Places such as Pune, Nashik and Thane are also in the bracket with few schools. However, the deteriorating infrastructure in several existing schools compounds the crisis. For instance, in Chandrapur's Sonapur village, students have been studying under the open sky for two months after the school's roof was blown away. Date said: "These shortcomings in the education department underline the urgent need for stronger policy and immediate intervention to improve rural education in Maharashtra. " Regarding the infrastructure shortcomings, Bhuse said as per a govt decision dated June 29, 2000, if a permanent drinking water facility is not available, instructions have been given to make arrangements for temporary storage of drinking water. Also, as per a govt decision dated April 16, 2025, instructions have been given to provide pure drinking water through tap connections under Jal Jeevan Mission Minor Mineral Scheme. Under Samagra Shiksha, 1,668 separate toilets for boys and 1,087 for girls are being constructed this year. "A districtwise review has been conducted to identify the worst-affected districts and prepare an action plan. Govt is focusing on steps to avert educational losses and ensure that children in all villages get the equaly opportunity to study," a senior education official told TOI on the condition of anonymity.
