Income Equality – Limited Access to Quality Education

Income inequality in India has a significant impact on access to quality education. The enrolment rates for school-age children in India are high but this rate decreases as the age of students increases. Here are the details of Gross Enrolment Rates as per age:

Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER):

Primary School (Grades 1-5, ages 6-11): The GER at the primary level is above 100%, indicating that a significant majority of children in this age group in school, along with older or younger children.

Upper Primary School (Grades 6-8, ages 11-14): The GER for upper primary education is around 91-95%.

Secondary School (Grades 9-10, ages 14-16): The GER decreases to around 77-80% for secondary education.

Senior Secondary School (Grades 11-12, ages 16-18): The GER further declines to 50-60%.

Apart from poverty needing additional income from boys at early age and early marriage for girls, the following reasons contribute to drop out from schools and inadequate quality of education in public schools: 

Lack of resources: 

1. Lack of classrooms
2. Lack of toilets 
3. Lack of electricity 
4. Lack of drinking water 
5. Lack of seating arrangements in classrooms

1. Teachers
   1. Lack of teachers/teaching positions remaining unfilled 
   2. Shortage of qualified teachers 
   3. Lack of proper training for teachers
   4. High teacher to student ratios 
   5. Overseeing multiple subjects leading to ineffective teaching 
2. Quality of instruction 
   1. Language barriers 
   2. Lack of basic literacy and numeracy skills due to poor foundational education 
   3. Lack of superior quality educational materials
   4. Lack of remedial classes 
3. Accessibility to schools 
   1. Lack of accessibility to secondary and senior secondary schools
   2. Lack of safe transportation for girls 
   3. Lack of accommodation if the students must move away from home. 
4. Inadequate support systems 
   1. Lack of guidance crucial for educational success 
   2. Lack of counselling to understand the value of higher education
   3. Lack of career guidance
   4. Lack of guidance to overcome economic and social challenges/lack of training on soft skills and leadership training
   5. Lack of health education and checkups 
5. Affordability of education 
   1. Cost of books 
   2. Cost of transportation
   3. Cost of uniforms
   4. Cost of accommodation
   5. Lack of ability to fund projects/extracurricular activities
6. Access to higher education 
   1. Inability to compete in competitive exams to gain admission in higher educational institutions.
   2. Lack of scholarships due to poor scores 
   3. Inability to fund projects required for completing degrees. 
7. Access to Technology
   1. Lack of computers in school (ICT infrastructure) 
   2. Lack of internet access
   3. Lack of online education 

Having discussed the causes, what are the remedial actions suggested under CSR by corporates to ensure better standards of education for the underprivileged? 

Concerted action in this direction requires. 

1. Long terms commitment and not a flash in pan approach. 
2. Picking up schools which they would like to sponsor and committing wholesome efforts in multiple directions to turnaround the quality of education.
3. Patience to be able to see results in long term.

Plan of action which can deployed on the ground: 

1. Conduct gap analysis in school to understand the shortcomings in the existing school. 
2. Audit to understand the areas of teaching spaces, check whether they are as per norms including science lab, library, computer, and arts rooms. Audit on admin spaces and support spaces like toilets, drinking water, playgrounds, and gardens.
3. Audit on ICT infrastructure and educational materials. 
4. Audit on number of students, enrolment numbers, attendance of students, results for the past year and dropout rates of the students. 
5. Audit on teachers including the qualifications of teachers, status of training of teachers, and attendance of teachers. 

Post audit detailed action plan on the following: 

1. Design, plan and budget for infrastructure upgrade. 
2. Budget for ICT, labs, and sports equipment
3. Plan for filling up teaching positions and teachers training. 
4. Plan for remedial classes for existing students on foundational skills for primary school students and STEM for secondary school students
5. Sponsorship for accommodation/ transportation for students belonging to weaker economic sections. 
6. Plan for holistic education including induction of physical education instructor, arts and music teacher, career counsellor, computer instructor and health counsellor.
7. Ensuring availability of books, school uniforms and shoes so that students feel confident about their appearance in school. 

For years together our country has been behind in income both in terms of employment and entrepreneurship due to lack of strong primary education. A good foundation in terms of school education can bring in immense economic and social benefits not only for the beneficiaries but for the nation. Strategic investments in this area by corporates will enhance quality of lives for generations to come.