If one were to identify the single most important achievement in the field of education by the government in the post-Independence era, it would have to be putting a school within reach of almost every child.
Of course, a school within reach is not the end - it is only the beginning. The significant questions are:
Does the socio-economic situation make it possible for that child to actually go to school?
Is what happens there attractive and relevant enough to keep that child in school for at least seven years?
In these seven years, does the child gain anything of significance and value in her life?
While there is an increasingly apparent focus on these issues, both in government and in civil society, the answers to these questions are at present an alarming but definite NO.
Consider these facts:
In 1993, enrollment in Class Five was 54.63 per cent of enrollment in Class One.
Drop-out rates are officially admitted to be as high as 35 per cent.
Most independent tests of achievement levels continue to show dismally low levels of achievement in the basic literacy skills.
The access to education that the girl-child has is another area of concern.
It is estimated that for every 100 girls that enroll in school in rural India, 40 will reach class IV, 18 will reach class VIII, nine will reach class IX, and only one will make it to class XII.
Though the national rates of female and male literacy show a decreasing difference, states like Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and West Bengal still have several districts where female literacy is less than 30 per cent.
http://infochangeindia.org/200310045936/Education/Backgrounder/Education-Background-Perspective.html
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