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Online edition of
India's National
Newspaper
Wednesday, Jan 23, 2008
ePaper
Special Correspondent
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Kerala
stays on top in primary, upper primary education |
Bihar the worst performer, followed by
Jharkhand
NEW DELHI: Kerala continues to be top
achiever in the composite primary and upper primary education, followed by
Puducherry, Delhi and Tamil Nadu. Bihar is the worst performer ranked at
35 and Jharkhand at 34, according to the Flash Statistics: Elementary
Education in India: Progress towards Universal Elementary Education
2006-07.
According to the figures for 2006-07, only 9.38 per cent Muslims were
enrolled in the primary classes in the country and it fell to 7.62 per
cent at the upper primary level. The enrolment of the Scheduled Castes up
to Class VIII was 19.87 per cent, and for the Scheduled Tribes it was
10.69 per cent. Among the Other Backward Classes, the figures were 42 per
cent in the primary classes and 41.23 at the upper primary level.
The figures, brought out by the National University of Educational
Planning and Administration, were released by Human Resource Development
Minister Arjun Singh at an executive committee meeting of the National
Mission for Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan.
The document tracks the progress of the States towards Universal
Elementary Education at the primary and upper primary levels as well as
the composite elementary level. Designed as an Educational Development
Index (EDI), the document has an additional indicator this year, focussing
on Muslim enrolment at both the primary and upper primary levels, apart
from covering the SCs, the STs and minorities and educationally backward
districts where there are large numbers of schoolchildren, a high gender
gap and large infrastructure gaps.
Delhi tops the EDI at the primary level followed by Puducherry and Kerala,
while Arunachal Pradesh is at 33th rank and West Bengal at 30.
At the upper primary level, Kerala is on the top followed by Puducherry,
Tamil Nadu and Chandigarh. As at the primary level, Bihar and Jharkhand
are at the 35th and 34th ranks at the upper primary levels also.
In 2005-06 also, Kerala was the best performing State in providing
composite level education. But Delhi, which ranked second, has now been
replaced by Puducherry and stands at number three.
The EDI is developed keeping in mind the broad parameters of access,
infrastructure, teacher and outcomes-related indicators. The index takes
into account 23 variables for calculating it.
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