Syllabus: Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health, Education, Human Resources
Context: Scale and Quality in School Systems
- China uses large, holistic schools to strengthen quality through scale and integrated infrastructure.
- Chinese K-12 schools average 2,800 students, compared to India’s average 150 students per K-8 school.
- Despite being three times larger, China operates one-third the number of schools as India.
- India achieved access at elementary level, but quality gaps persist in fragmented school networks.
Current Status and Infrastructure Gaps
- India has 5.6 lakh schools enrolling fewer than 50 students each, reflecting severe fragmentation.
- Over 1 lakh single-teacher schools serve 33 lakh students, necessitating multi-grade teaching.
- Around 40% of government secondary schools have fewer than 100 students enrolled.
- Only 19% of schools have functional ICT labs, while 51% have integrated science laboratories.
- About 10% offer higher secondary classes, and just 6% provide vocational education.
State-Level Reform Experiments
- Rajasthan created Adarsh Schools with phased upgrades in infrastructure and staffing.
- Uttar Pradesh approved Model Composite Schools with smart classrooms and WiFi connectivity.
- Madhya Pradesh consolidated 36,000 under-enrolled schools under the SATH-E programme.
- The CM RISE initiative targets one upgraded school for every 25–30 villages.
- Odisha, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, and Gujarat pursue similar consolidation models.
Composite School Model and Equity
- Composite schools aim for one teacher per class and adequate subject specialists.
- Transport facilities ensure access and prevent exclusion of remote or vulnerable students.
- Community engagement supports smooth transitions and builds trust in school consolidation.
Targets for 2035
- Establish one K-8 school per Gram Panchayat, serving around 300 students each.
- Integrated K-8 campuses could educate 8.1 crore children nationwide.
- Transition rates fall from 87% middle-to-secondary and 75% secondary-to-higher secondary.
- Projected 8 crore students in Classes 9–12 justify large, well-resourced composite secondary schools.
Implementation Strategy
- States require context-specific road maps based on geography and population density.
- Priorities include teacher deployment, decentralised planning, transport solutions, and funding support.
- Samagra Shiksha, combined with State schemes, can finance composite school infrastructure upgrades.