Status of Primary as an Elementary Education in India

Primary education is often referred to as elementary education. The framers of Indian constitution did not initially include ‘Education’ as one of the fundamental rights. However, the Right to Education has later been included as a fundamental right in India.  The Right to Education Act (RTE) came into force on 1st April, 2010. Every child aged between 6 and 14 years are entitled to free elementary (primary) education.

Article 21A was inserted in Constitutional Amendment of 2002 to include education as a fundamental right. It also specified the necessity of a separate legislation to deal with the implementation process of right to education. A draft bill was proposed in 2005. The bill was finally passed in 2009. The Act came into force on 1st April, 2010.

At present the condition of elementary schools has improved during the recent years. However, some of the government or semi-government controlled primary schools are located in the far interior corners of the districts. The condition of buildings and infrastructure are poor. Though the teachers posted there get good salary, there are instances of irregularity of teachers in schools. The government should allocate more funds towards elementary education, which is the key to building the future of the nation. If additional funds are allocated towards primary education, then surely the requirement of primary education could also be attended to in right earnest. Thus primary education has been bifurcated into the two classes:

• Well-equipped, well maintained and well-set public schools for the rich and
• The primary school for the poor.

Private Primary Schools: It is the privately run public schools which are rendering excellent service in this field, but then the fee-structure in these schools is so high that it is beyond the reach even of the middle classes.

Drop-outs in Government run schools: The main reason for the drop-outs from primary schools has been the engaged of children in child-labour. Though child labour is prohibited by law, the government has yet taken sufficient measures to punish the offenders who engage child-labour. The families find their children working as a source of additional income. The government run schools have less facility to attract children. There still exist many schools which have insufficient class rooms, no facility for drinking water, and no toilets and no furniture in the classrooms, if a classroom existed.

Suggestions - To make primary education programme worthwhile and successful, the basic need is a motivated teacher. Such a teacher needs no classroom; he can even teach under the shade of a tree, but he/she must have the urge to teach; be devoted and dedicated to his job. This would reflect directly upon students for whom the teacher should be a play-mate, a guide, an ideal companion. He could teach while playing with the children and if this national character could develop among teachers no matter, no other facility exists; the primary education sector would find a tremendous achievement.

Conclusion: As a nation, India has to advance ahead, but education is the field which prepares the youth of the nation to take the nation forward. The parents and guardians should understand the value of education and send their children to primary schools. A cultivator or a laborer would think that his son should help him in his work rather than go to school and waste his time over books that would not enable him to earn more. He thinks that education is a luxury which the ‘gentleman’ can alone afford. Such parents should be made aware of the benefits of education.

Further, a teacher plays an important role in shaping the future of a student. We should have competent teachers who are interested in the education process. Unfortunately, in India, there is shortage of quality teacher at primary schools. The job of a primary teacher should be made more attractive. If we are prepared to pay a little higher salary, we shall be able to attract competent men, and if they can work contentedly they will be able to make a good job of it.

Source: Important India