In my previous blog, i mentioned that technology should not be the focus of India’s educational strategy. Having said that, i think technology can play an important role in addressing the educational issues, if used the right way. With over 850 million mobile phone subscribers in India, we need to leverage this enormous power and potential of mobile technology for making a positive impact in the education sector.

Here is how i think we need to address the 3 main educational issues in India, and how to make the best use of technology in this effort:

How To Make Teaching Profession More Valuable:
This is easier said than done, and will need a cultural shift in India. But one way to make the teaching profession more desirable to the youth is by raising teacher salaries to respectable levels. And with the 6th pay commission, India did just that – the government teachers salaries and benefits got a major boost. But this did not help improve teacher motivation, or the image of the profession. In fact, studies have shown that the teachers with higher salaries in India are more likely to be absent or inactive in classrooms. Couple of reasons for this – just increasing salaries will not have a positive impact if there is a total lack of accountability. The second reason being the teacher salary-structure in India, which is totally flawed. It needs to be changed from the currently seniority-based to a performance-based salary structure. Technology can play its part too – in the form of media for raising awareness and understanding about issues in the education system, and educating the people about importance of the teaching profession.

Technology For Addressing Teacher Accountability Issue:
The presence of a quality and motivated teacher in a classroom, is one of the most prerequisite for a high quality education system. Teacher absence and inactivity in classrooms is chronic in India. I’m convinced that lack of accountability (especially teacher accountability) is one of the major reasons for the abysmal quality of education in India. People have argued “why not focus on the teachers who are motivated and who do show up?”. It’s a fair argument…and all the current resources/projects/funds are focused on them. But 65% (percentage of teachers who are absent and inactive) is a huge number, and cannot be ignored. Its time we start focusing on improving accountability.
We need to exploit some of the clauses in the Right To Information (RTI) and Right To Education (RTE) acts in India, and use technology (especially mobile phones) to monitor teachers by either crowdsourcing the task to locals or by other automated means, and hold the teachers accountable. Technology can also be used to create some sort of transparency in the school administration (in the form of tracking funds, collecting data etc), and making it more efficient. This will help root out the corruption practices and hence improve accountability in the Indian education system.

Technology For Improving Quality Of Demand:
Mobile phones user base (~850 million) has grown at an exponential level in India (both urban and rural), and it boasts one of the cheapest mobile service rates in the world. We can use this mobile platform to help decentralize the Indian education system, by empowering the local community (the parent in particular) with school-related information. But its important to note that apart from training the local community on how to use the technology, it is also crucial that we educate the local population about the importance of this school-related information and the positive impact it can make, to educate them about their rights, and motivate them to adopt the technology. The parents will then feel empowered, and will have to voice/confidence to raise their concerns during the school management committee meetings. Empowering the local community using technology, and getting them more involved in the education system will also act as a key ingredient in improving accountability. It will take the combined effort of the citizens, media, and the NGO’s in India for improving the quality of demand; and technology can play a critical role in this effort.

Conclusion:
Although technology should not be the focus, it can definitely play a key role in addressing some of the educational issues in India. A lot of talk/effort has been put into the direct use of technology in schools – computer labs in schools, one laptop per child (OLPC) program, teacher training using technology etc. But this approach has not given us better results in India due to the simple fact that is it not addressing the root cause of the educational problems. We need to stop pushing technology into education. Instead, if we just step back, analyze and assess the core educational issues, and use technology as a tool to supplement the other social, cultural and economic tools for addressing those core issues, then technology (especially mobile technology) can play its magic in helping improve the quality of education in India or elsewhere for that matter.

I just spent the past 3 months in India looking at the education system and how ICT could play a role in improving student outcomes. After countless discussions with local scholars, school visits, teacher interviews, and conversations with students and parents (both in rural and urban India), I’ve come to the conclusion that lack of technology is not the reason for the abysmal quality of basic education in India.

In my opinion, here are the top 3 things India needs to do for improving quality of education, and none of them involve technology directly (although technology can be a powerful tool in addressing these issues if used the right way):

1) Make the Teaching Profession Valuable:

Currently, majority of the educated youth in India choose teaching as a profession only after other options are exhausted. As a result, the wrong people are entering the teaching profession – people who are not motivated, and are really not interested in teaching. Ofcourse, India being a democracy, one cannot stop people from choosing any career they want. But what one can do is improve the process of teacher eligibility/selection, and improve the value of a school teacher. Similar to some of the Scandinavian countries like Finland, the teaching profession needs to be made respectful in India….on par with the Engineering, Medical, Law professions. Easier said than done ofcourse, but India desperately needs to bring some fresh blood and enthusiasm in the teaching profession.

2) Address the Teacher Accountability Issue:

After the 6th Pay commission gave teacher pay and benefits a great boost, the implementation of the Right to Education Act has put heavy emphasis on the inputs to the education system – infrastructure, student enrolment rates etc. The Indian government has spent 88,000 Crore rupees on education since 2004, yet the quality of education is abysmal, with high drop out rates (50% student drop out by 8th grade, with only 12% actually graduate college). What explains this?? One statistic stands out – 65% of the teaching resources are wasted in India due to the combination of teacher absenteeism and teacher inactivity in school classrooms. And the main reason being the lack of accountability. The teacher unions have become disproportionately powerful with heavy political connections, due to which there is total lack of monitoring – the school inspections are a joke. Also, there is a huge demand and heavy shortage of teachers in India (unofficial number is 3 million), which is not helping in improving accountability. Policy makers and the people in power in India know about this issue, but are very hesitant to deal with it. But i think it’s about time, India stops shying away from it and starts addressing the teacher accountability issue.

3) Improve Quality of Demand:

One cannot blame the Indian government for all the educational problems. Equal responsibility has to be shared by the people. Talking to the locals/parents in India, i got a feeling that the people have lost faith in the public education system due to its poor quality. They have given up hope. And the fact that the educated, well-to-do population send their kids to private schools, makes it difficult to motivate them to care about India’s public education system. But that needs to change. India needs a better quality of demand. And this starts with the educated population, motivated, helping out, and demanding a better quality of public education. The illiterate population and the locals/parents from the under-privileged communities, need to be educated about their rights, the need to be given a voice/hope, that good quality public education is their right and the government needs to deliver it. It is also critical that the disproportionate power of the teacher unions is counter-balanced by some sort of parent unions, or student unions.

Final Thoughts:

With the inputs to the education system taken care, it’s about time India starts focusing on student outcomes, and on improving the quality of education. And although technology has an important role to play, it is not the silver bullet, and should not be the focus when creating any educational strategy in India. The focus should be the 3 things mentioned above – raising the value of the teaching profession, addressing the teacher accountability issue, and improving the quality of demand in India; and technology should be used as a tool to supplement other tools that address the social, cultural and economic realities on the ground.

-Pritam Kabe.

(Fellow in Foreign Service, Georgetown University)

Method of my research in India:

- discussions/brainstorming sessions with the local scholars/experts.
- field trips to rural/urban areas both in North and South India.
- attending education related events/seminars.
- reading articles, books, research papers.

Findings/Analysis Based on My Research:

Government Spending on Education:
The Government of India has spent INR 88,000 Crores (~$18 Billion) on education since 2004. There are two ways to look at this: either we should give the Indian government credit for investing in education; or we can ask the question – where is all this money going??

Teacher Salaries:
Less than 5% of the education budget is spent on non-salary recurrent expenditure [Kingdon, 2010]. The government teacher salaries and benefits have increased generously to respectable levels in recent years, due to the 6th pay commission .

Student Enrollment Rates and Access:
The Indian government has done a great job in the last decade in ensuring an increase in student enrolment rates – by building more schools, and by providing free mid-day meals in all schools. More than 97% of schools kids in the 6-14 age group in India are enrolled in schools, and 98% have access to a school within 1Km of their home.

Teacher Qualification and Training:
More than 90% of government school teachers already hold an educational degree. There has also been a lot of focus by organizations (government, private and non-governmental) on teacher training and pedagogy techniques.

School Infrastructure:
The Right to Education (RTE) Act requires that all schools meet a certain minimum infrastructure requirement – example: clean toilet facilities, a playground for kids, a wall around the school. More than 60% of government schools in India currently meet all these requirements, with an increasing trend.

Hence, to summarize, all the inputs to the education system have been taken care of. But what is the output result? What are the students actually learning in schools? According to the latest ASER report 2010, the student learning levels in India are abysmal – 46% of 5th graders cannot read basic text in their local language; and 64% cannot do basic math functions. The drop out rates are very high – more than 50% drop out by 8th grade, and only 12.4% actually graduate from college.

How Can One Explain This???

There is one statistic that really stands out – almost 65% of the teaching resources are wasted in India as a result of combination of teacher absence and inactivity in school classrooms. Teacher absenteeism is chronic in India, and only half the teachers who are actually present in the classroom are actively teaching. The lack of teacher accountability in India stems from poor monitoring, high level of corruption (school inspections are a joke), influence and power of teacher unions, inability to hire/fire teachers, seniority-based salary structure, and the extreme centralized nature of the education system.

Fair Argument?
Some people in India argued, “why not focus on the teachers who do show up and who are motivated?”. And that is a fair argument. But ALL the current educational projects led by the government, NGOs, donors, multilateral organizations and private sector, ARE focused on training teachers, using technology in classrooms etc. But 65% (of wasted teaching resources) is a big number, and one CANNOT ignore/hide from the fact that the teacher accountability issue HAS to be addressed. And the results don’t lie….the quality of education is still very poor…and has not shown signs on improvement. Training a teacher, or giving her salaries increases, is of no use if he/she is NOT motivated, not interested in teaching or getting trained, and if there is a total lack of accountability. I saw well educated/trained/well-paid teachers in urban New Delhi, just not motivated at all in teaching; and met some outstanding/motivated teachers in the non-formal schools of rural Rajasthan who get paid 1/4th or 1/5th of what a government teacher gets paid.

What Needs to be Done?

Ideal Scenario:

• The teacher profession needs to be made valuable in India – on par with an Engineer, a Doctor or a Lawyer. India needs to bring some fresh blood and enthusiasm in the teaching profession.
• The teacher unions and teachers should be held accountable. India needs a labor law reform, so that a teacher can be hired or fired relatively easily based on his/her performance.
• The teacher salary structure needs to be changed from the current seniority-based structure, to a performance-based structure.

The above suggestions are easier said than done. So here is a strategy that CAN be implemented:

Practical Scenario:
Improve the quality of demand, and de-centralize the education system by educating and empowering the parents. Exploit the School Management Committee (SMC) platform, and give a voice/hope to the parents. I attended a SMC meeting between school officials, parents and teachers in Hyderabad, and found that they can be a great platforms for parents to voice their concerns, be heard, and hold the teachers accountable. I also found that since the SMC meeting concept was implemented in the school i visited, the teacher activity went up 50% and there was a noticeable improvement in student outcomes. Hence, i feel that having motivated and confident parents (empowered with school-related information) at these SMC meetings, is a good way to start improving accountability and hence quality in the India education system.

How can Technology help:
India current has over 850 million mobile phone subscribers…and it has some of the lowest mobile phone usage rates in the world. Hence, we can leverage the power of mobile technology, to empower the locals with information for monitoring unmotivated teachers (stick approach), for further helping the teachers who are motivated by providing content on their phones (carrot approach), and for improving the efficiency/capability of the administrative side of the education system.

It is important to note that technology is NOT the silver bullet, and a lot of background work has to be put in for technology to work its magic – for example: the parents need to be educated/trained so that they are motivated to adopt the technology, and for making the best use of it. Teachers too need to be trained for making the best use of the mobile software for downloading/using content in classrooms. Implementing incentive schemes for the teachers and parents for using the technology will also help improve their motivation levels.

Conclusion:
Lack of technology, or lack of funds, is NOT the real issue in the Indian education system. All the current educational programs in India are shying away and NOT addressing the root cause of the educational issues. At least from what i saw in India, the real issue in the public education system in India is the lack of accountability, in particular teacher accountability. And unless this issue is addressed, the quality of education in India will NOT improve. It is time we stop ignoring the customer (the parent/student) and start empowering them. The teacher accountability issue in India is a very complicated and difficult issue to deal with. Addressing it will require the will of the Indian government, and an improvement in the quality of demand – in the form of a cultural shift and support from the educated mass. And technology can play its part in creating a positive change ONLY if used the right way, by thinking in terms of the local context – by taking into consideration the social, cultural, and economic conditions.

There has been a lot of talk lately on the use of technology replacing teachers in schools. Although all this sounds very “cool”, “hi-tech”, and revolutionary 21st century thinking, we should not lose sight of the importance of “human teachers”. Evidence has clearly shown that just blindly introducing technology in schools has no positive impact on student outcomes, and is NOT a replacement for good teaching. The biggest bottleneck for quality of education in primary and secondary schools is the sustained motivation of students. And supervision from human teachers and parents is the only way to generate that motivation. The most important influence on the child’s learning is the school teacher. Teacher motivation and performance is a key ingredient to a healthy and productive learning environment.

Although the Indian government has taken steps to meet a teacher’s need, and to raise their motivation levels, their overall strategy is flawed, and has led to poor quality of basic education in India.

The Indian government has taken the following steps for improving the motivation levels for teachers, and for improving the quality of education:
- making sure the school infrastructures meet the basic requirements.
- the student-teacher ratios does not exceed 30.
- the teacher salaries were given a major boost after the 6th pay commission – this is also meant to encourage the young-talented individuals to enter the teaching profession.
- making sure that the teachers meet a certain minimum college degree qualifications for teaching in a public school.

But what has been the result? The quality of education is still abysmal, with high student drop-out rates.

How can one explain this??

One statistic jumps out at me is that 65% of the teaching resources are wasted in India due to the combination of teacher absenteeism and teacher inactivity in the classroom. Studies have also shown that more the teacher salary in India, the more likely the teacher is either absent or inactive. There is only one explanation for this – lack of accountability in the Indian education system.

What needs to be done:

The issue is not just the lack of accountability from the school administration or the local community, but the lack of moral accountability in the teachers. It looks like the talent pool entering the teaching profession in India is not of good quality. And this is not surprising. The top young talent in India aspire to be engineers, doctors, lawyers, consultants, Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officers etc; and only if/when they fail to make it in their fields, do they think of entering the teaching profession. India is a democracy, and one cannot deny anyone the right to enter any profession. But i think serious steps need to be taken to make the teacher profession a much more valuable/sort-after profession, and to improve the hiring process of the teachers.

It’s been proven that just raising teacher salaries is not the answer. I think the Indian government will be well-served if they implement these 3 difficult but important changes:

1) Not be worried about the teacher-union/teacher threats to go on strike, and hold them accountable. Clean house if necessary (not possible, but you get the point), and inject enthusiasm and purpose in the teaching profession by bringing in young/fresh/enthusiastic talent. This will need a strong will and determination on the part of the Indian government.

2) There is a serious shortage of teachers in India (unofficial number is 3 million). Just having a teaching degree, does not equal a good teacher. I’ve seen fantastic teachers in rural Rajasthan with no college degrees, and pathetic/unmotivated/well-paid teachers in urban New Delhi and Hyderabad, having all the required educational qualifications. Hence, let a motivated teacher without a degree, who passes a “Teacher Eligibility Test”, be given a renewal approval to teach in school, with a continual evaluation process in place.

3) Change the teacher salary structure, from the current seniority-based to a performance-based structure. Work on changing the labor laws, to make it easier to promote/demote, or hire/fire teachers, based on their performance.

Conclusion:
I think, lack of quality education in India, is the biggest failure of the Indian democracy. And i think it is high time the Indian government takes this issue seriously, to ensure a long-term sustainable economic growth and social stability. And it starts with the school teacher, and making the teaching profession a valuable/sort-after profession that attracts the best/smartest young minds in India.

Based on research on the human brain, it is globally acknowledged that the first 6-8 years of a child’s life are the most critical years for lifelong development. The research also indicates that if these early years are not supported by a stimulating and enriching physical, mental and social environment, the chances of child’s brain developing to its full potential are considerably reduced, sometimes irreversibly. Hence the importance of early childhood education, or “Pre-school” Education.

Evidence supports the fact the kids gain a lot from pre-school – where they are exposed to letters, numbers, and shapes; and more importantly they learn how to socialize at a young age. Studies also show that pre-school makes a kid well prepared when he/she enters a primary school. Also the chances of a child staying and performing well in primary/secondary school are much higher if he/she attends pre-school.

During my recent field trip to a rural region in the state of Rajasthan, India, i visited a “Balwadi” (pre-school). Speaking to the teachers and school administrators there, i learnt about some additional benefits of those pre-schools. The kids coming to the “Balwadis” there were children of farmers, who work in fields all day. Hence the “Balwadis” not only served the educational purpose for the kids, but they also provided security for the kids while the parents were out working in the fields. The teacher mentioned that due to the emphasis on nutrition, and meals provided, the “Balwadis” also had a positive impact on the nutrition of these kids. And we all know how important early childhood nutrition is for a long-term physical and mental development of a child.

But it is just surprising that importance of “Pre-school” education is not much talked about when it comes to Government policies – not just in India, but elsewhere around the world. I at least know for a fact that in India, that the new Right to Education (RTE) act focuses on free and compulsory education for every child between the age of 6-14. And now there is an added demand/discussion/drive to increase that age range by two years by adding free 9th and 10th grade education. I think instead on focusing on the upper end of that age group, one should start focusing on the adding compulsory “Pre-school” education to the  free education for 6-14 year olds.

I’ve mentioned it before, and i’ll say it again, that India needs to shift its focus from “free schooling for all”, to “free education for all”….and its starts with good a “pre-school” education, followed by a good QUALITY primary and secondary education.

Although the student enrolment rates have dramatically improved in the past decade (96.5% of all children in the 6-14 age group enrolled in schools in India), it is still home to almost half of the global illiterate population. Something clearly is not working in the Indian education system. So what is it? And why has it not been fixed?

I point my finger straight on the low teacher accountability in the public education system in India.

Teacher absenteeism is chronic is India, and even if the teachers show up, there is little teaching activity in the public schools. And the result? – i’ve mentioned this in my previous blog, and its worth mentioning again – 6% of 5th Graders cannot read basic text (expected of a 2nd Grader) in their local language, 64% cannot do basic arithmetic function like division, and on an average a quarter of the 8th Graders are not able to answer basic questions on everyday Math. The Grade repetition and drop-out rates are also high by international standards.

One can sight to a number of reasons for this low teacher accountability in India – the power of teachers unions, low moral accountability of teachers, the wrong people entering the teaching professions….and so on. But i think it is the combination of a lack of political will, and a centralized education system, due to which there is low community participation (parents/students have no power) in the education system. The teachers in public schools get paid 3-4 times those in a private school (more than 70% of the public education budget is spent on teacher salaries), and the salary structure is seniority-based and NOT performance-based. Hence the teachers have no motivation to perform well in school, and there is no one to monitor them (school inspectors are corrupt and often bribed).

I’ve heard people say that teacher motivation is low due to a lot of personal problems they face. This is a ridiculous claim.  As hard as it may seem, personal and professional lives should not interfere. This goes for all professions, so why are teachers given an exemption. On top of this, teachers have a ridiculously LARGE amount of vacation days (which only adds to the lack of teaching activity), and they have NO REASON to complain. There are always exceptions to the rule – like a teacher having to travel long distances to go to a school, or a teacher not getting paid on time. These are valid reasons for low teacher motivation….but these reasons are exceptions and not the norm.

People also mention the fact that the wrong people are entering the teaching profession – those who just want an easy, well-paid job, with great long-term benefits and no pressure to perform. But one cannot deny anyone a chance to enter any profession. This is a democracy. And remember, regardless of ones profession, most people are really not that happy with their jobs. But the difference is that in any other profession, if one does not perform well, he/she is fired….or if the person does perform well, he/she is rewarded. There is accountability, and hence, whether one likes his/her job or not, he/she has the motivation and the fear to work hard and perform well. So, why doesn’t this rule apply to the teaching profession in India?? After all, the salary has to be earned; whereas i feel like the public schools in India are like charity – just donating money to the teachers, without demanding anything in return. And common sense will tell us, this is a flawed way to doing things.

Motivated and enthusiastic employees have a direct positive impact on an organization. And the teaching profession is no exception. Teacher presence, activity and quality of teaching, have a direct impact on the student outcomes. And improving all these 3 factors are essential for improving the quality of education – and there is no point ignoring this fact. India needs to wake up, and stop beating around the bush. It is time for India to accept the fact that improving teacher accountability is CRUCIAL and NECESSARY for improving the quality of its education system, and hence, for its future.

The RTE Act is heavily focused on school infrastructural needs – playground, library, teacher-student ratio, student enrollment rate etc. Although these things are important, one shouldn’t lose sight of the fact that quality of education is as important, if not more important, than quantity.

Let me try to explain my rationale by pointing to the following 3 things:

1) The Annual Status for Education Report (ASER) 2010 for India clearly shows that the quality of basic education is pathetic – 6% of 5th Graders cannot read basic text (expected of a 2nd Grader) in their local language, 64% cannot do basic arithmetic function like division, and on an average a quarter of the 8th Graders are not able to answer basic questions on everyday Math. The Grade repetition and drop-out rates are high by international standards. Hence, clearly something is not right. It’s either the teachers, the teaching method, or just the whole education system. Just focusing on the school infrastructure is NOT going to magically improve student outcomes.

2) Teacher Accountability is very low in India, with teacher absenteeism rates being the highest in the world. And nobody wants to address or even talk about the issue. The teacher unions have political contacts, and the teachers (mostly in the public education) have very little motivation for various reasons – low accountability, job stability, pay is seniority-based and NOT performance-based….the list goes on.

3) Non-Formal Education in India which do not meet the ridiculous school infrastructural needs will have to be shut down. Kids from the low-income households in India, who are even willing to pay a minimal fee for a better quality education, go to these well-run, non-formal private schools with motivated teachers. They will now be forced to either completely drop-out of schools, or to enroll in one of the public schools providing abysmal quality of education. Many regions in rural areas in India do not even have access to public schools, and these non-formal schools is their only hope for education. What will happen to the kids in these rural areas? Just doesn’t make sense…does it?

Conclusion:

The focus of RTE is on the inputs to the education system, and NOT on the most important part – the student outcomes or the quality of education. RTE is impractical, flawed and just outright ridiculous. I wonder if the guys who worked on drafting this act have ever actually been on field visits to rural India, or ever seen the reality on the ground. Just guaranteeing schooling does NOT guarantee education!! India needs to immediately shift its focus to improving the quality of its education system, by taking into account the REAL ISSUES on the ground. And the first step should be amending the RTE Act. I’m a born optimist, but a practical one at the same time. And I’m convinced, that if the quality of basic education doesn’t improve in India, the blessings of a young demography will turn into a curse and an outright disaster for India in coming decades.

I have nothing against making money…or using technology. But my biggest concern is that technology is NOT the silver bullet….and the lack of Technology in schools is NOT the main problem in the education system in India. My impression is that people are just trying to avoid or mask the real issues, and are just focussing on what looks “cool” or “hip”.

After the visit to the expo, i went to the Education Summit (the event was happening at the same venue) – a discussion of sorts between some of government officials and young entrepreneurs. At the summit, i met this young guy Akhil, who flew in with his mom from Hyderabad for this summit. During a Q&A, he stood up and made a comment that had a big impact on me. He said that he went to this first “Digital School” in Hyderabad, and that he hated it. The teacher in his schools just showed up in the morning, turned on the digital equipment, and then did their own thing. He hated the fact that there was no teaching activity from the teacher, no human interaction, and that the students in the class learnt nothing. The students used the digital content and the classroom activities for the playing games in class. As a result, he added, the quality of education was pathetic. Agreed, that this school had gone too far in terms of being “digital” and this school might be an exception. But it teaches us an important lesson…that technology cannot replace quality teaching…it can at best supplement it!

Akhil was immediately shot down by the government official even before he had completed expressing his concern. This is also something i’ve seen in India – time and time again. Whenever there is a discussion and a Q&A session involving a government official, any tough question or a criticism is immediately shot down, and the focus is diverted to something else. Then why have these fake Q&A sessions? If you ask me, the main reason for having these sessions is to hear from the people, have them express the issues/concerns, and then discussion/brainstorm ways to resolve them….instead of just running away from the issues.

During the lunch break, i spoke with Akhil and his mom briefly. They said everyone at summits like these, have an opinion, and they claim to have a solution. But no one wants to listen to the people who matter the most – the students. Hence, there wasn’t a single student body or associations represented here at the summit. He said that these “Digi-schools” did not care about the quality of education. He added that one of his friends who was in 10th grade in one of these schools, could barely read English. I couldn’t help but ask him why he chose that school, and why didn’t he drop out of that school? He replied that when the school opened, the word “Digi-School” sounded hip, and everyone thought these schools would provide a very high quality education. And the reason he didn’t drop out later is because he has no choice. This was the only school in his neighborhood.

Guys like Akhil, who have gone through the system and are willing to speak up, are a valuable resource and should be used to learn about the REAL issues in education. His suggestions/inputs will go a long way in coming up with APPROPRIATE solutions to the RIGHT issues in the Indian education system.

The key is to identify and work on the root cause of the educational issues in India – issues like low accountability, focus on quantity and NOT quality, corruption….i can go on and on. Just throwing technology in the Indian classrooms (or any classrooms for that matter) is like trying to come up with answers, without even knowing what the question is. It is just a money-making business, for which the kids are paying the price.

Blind faith in technology and its inappropriate use in education, is NOT the way to go. For starters, let us at least hear what the students and parents have to say, for a change, and we can take it from there.

I heard about this school from my maid – her two kids (one if 1st grade and the other in 3rd grade) go to this school. She had told me about the pathetic quality of teaching in this school. After getting good background information about this school, i decided to make an unannounced visit to see it first hand. I tried to go with an unbiased opinion, and with a mindset of giving the benefit of doubt to the teachers/administrators of this school, unless i actually see it myself.

As i entered the school, i headed straight for the school principal’s office. As i was walking past the classrooms to get to the principal’s office, i couldn’t resist myself from peeping into a couple of the classrooms. The teacher in the first classroom was talking on her mobile phone, and the kids were doing their own thing. In the next classroom, there were 2 teachers chatting with each other. There was no teacher in the third classroom that i walked past. But ok, I thought i should give them the benefit of the doubt…maybe the teachers were discussing something related to their school-work. I had to remind myself – “keep an unbiased opinion”.

As i enter the principal’s office, i see a couple of teachers discussing things with the principal. I introduced myself, mentioned nothing that i had prior knowledge of the school or that my maid’s kids are in that school. I was very polite, and told them that i was there to learn about the public schools in India, and was willing to help them if they needed anything. It was very obvious to me right away that i was NOT welcome there. They were very rude, and outright hostile towards me, and demanded that i get permission from officials to talk to them. Ok, maybe they had some bad experiences before….so i kept calm, and managed to convince them to speak with me for 5 mins.

After some “code language discussions” between the principal and teachers, the teachers left the room, and i could finally asked some questions to the principal.

Here are some of the questions i asked, and the replies i got:

Me: “How many students/teachers do you have?”
Principal: “Around 150 students, and 5 teachers including me”.

Me: “Are you in general happy with the quality of your school, your teachers? do you guys need anything to make your school even better?”
Principal: “No we are fine, we are a very well run school, and we don’t need anything”.

Me: “Is there a school library? do you guys need any books?”
Principal: “Yes, we do have a library. And no, we do not need any books. We always get book donations, and have plenty”.

Me: “Can i see the school library?”
Principal: “NO!”

Me: “Why Not?”
Principal: “We don’t allow anyone to see it. Its locked…and the books are locks in closed shelves. We take the books out only when needed”.

Me: “Do school inspections take place?”
Principal: “Yes, regularly”.

Me: “How often does your school hold parent-teacher meetings?”
Principal: “Regularly. Generally once a month”.

Me: “Can i see the classrooms? And say hello to the kids?”
Principal: “NO!”

As she escorted me out of her office, and as i was walking past one of the classrooms, i couldn’t resist myself – i entered the classroom shook hands with a couple of the kids and asked their names. There was no teacher in that classroom, and i saw few kids on the other side of the classroom learning by themselves using the alphabet posters hanging on the wall. I then entered the next classroom, and shook hands with a couple more kids. Before leaving the school, i thanked the teachers and the principal for their time. They were very suspicious of me, were very hesitant to even shake my hands, and were happy to see me leave.

It was very obvious to me that the school teachers/principal had something to hide….why else would you be act so secretive and hostile to someone who is offering to help? I came back home and asked my maid the same question i had asked the teacher. She said that they NEVER have parent teacher meetings, the teachers are absent frequently, and there is very little teaching activity even when the teachers are present. She then added that school inspections are rare and of no use. She showed me her kid’s note books. After 10 days of schooling, the kid had written 3 english alphabets, 3 hindi alphabets, and numbers from 1-10. She also mentioned – “the other day, i asked my son what he learnt in school that day? And he replied, i was feeling sleepy, so the teacher let me sleep all day in school”. She also mentioned that they had once called all parents, and made them sign (using their thumbprint) on a document stating the “mid-day meals” in the schools were of great quality – when in fact the quality of the meals was not good. She also said that the school teachers are of a higher caste and generally “rule” the school, and that the school principal is of a lower caste, and does not have much of a say in the school affairs.

What she told me next shocked me even more! She said that when she went to pick up her kids in school that day, the principal called and her gave her a tongue-lashing (she had asked the kids and found out who i was). She also warned my maid’s daughter to stay away from me. She also told her that i was a bad guy, and that she should not eat any food that i offer. My maid also told me with a smile on her face that the kids were given homework in school that day for the first time.

I felt disgusted, angry, and motivated more than ever to do something about this lack of accountability in the Indian public education system.

Conclusion:

• The accountability in this school was very poor. There was no one to check into the school affairs, and the teachers belonging to a higher caste were running the show.
• The teachers were not really interested in teaching, and were there to just get paid. I’m convinced that the lack of motivation, lack of monitoring and social distance from students/parents played a major role in the lack of teaching activity.
• Monitoring works. Just by me visiting once, for 5 mins, rattled the school teachers, and the kids were given homework for the first time. If the serious monitoring was somehow enforced in these schools, i have no doubt the teaching activity will pick up ten fold.
• If this is the situation in the public schools in urban India, i shudder to think how bad it would be in rural India.
• The bottom line is that the students in this school were being cheated, and were receiving a very poor quality education. They were getting free public schooling, but NOT education.