Please Share your views!

The ASER 2012 report in Delhi evidences high enrolment, low learning levels, moderately high children-and-teacher attendance in school, withmany class II and IV children sitting in multi-grade classrooms, and a school infrastructure that is inching forward but a long way off from fully complying with RTE guidelines . Private input into primary education continues to rise, be it the growing private enrolment figures in the northern and some southern states, or high private tuition in the eastern states. Both have not been able to prevent the learning dip.The ASER report, over the last eight years, has generated a fair degree of debate.

But few have contested the main ASER finding - strong evidence for low learning levels among Indian children and indications of a declining trend since 2010. Commentators of ASER have several concerns. Some have likened the testing of children to "torture." Others are worried that the year-on-year data that shows consistent increase in enrolment in rural private schools will force government to rethink their policy and cut down on the SSA budget.

Some even exhort the Indian goverment to emulate the successful education model of Finland, where schooling from class I to IX is free of cost, and schools enjoy a great deal of autonomy over curriculum, evaluation and management. With their highachieving children being amongst the best in the world, the Finnish school system has become an object of envy the world over, and a curious case for many researchers.

India is still learning how to make 'learning' its central focus.

-Courtesy: Educationtimes.com