But teachers are always ready to help students
Village schools in Sindagi taluk in Vijayapura district do not have the infrastructure necessary to improve students’ learning abilities.
Swathi, a student of class 9 studying in the high school in Otihale village, informed The Observer that her school doesn’t have a library. Consequently, she hadn’t developed the habit of reading. “As we don’t have a library, our teachers allow us to take books from the staff room and return it the same day.
“Some of the equipment for science labs is not available, and I only understand the theory.” But her teachers are most helpful when it comes to simplifying the concepts.
Assistant headmaster S.D. Gondalli acknowledged: “The funds received by the school are not enough for purchasing all equipment and setting up a library. We do not have the means to do so in our village. While we don’t have a library, we acquire books for students who can access them during school hours.”
Prabha Alexander, senior assistant director for public instruction, explained: “Owing to meagre resources in villages, it is not possible for schools to have all facilities. The government has encouraged village schools to set up Reading Corners in the absence of libraries so as to encourage developing the habit of reading. Under the Reading Corners programme, a small portion of a room is assigned to keep some books which students can access. This is different from a usual library where one can issue books and take them home.”
Asked about the lack of equipment in laboratories, Alexander said: “School administrators need to involve themselves more in acquiring resources for village schools.
“Under Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), corporations are expected to contribute to the welfare of society. Education is an important field where companies contribute the most as part of their social responsibility. We assist village schools to reach out to the companies who are willing to contribute to the infrastructure by providing books and equipment. Several village schools have benefited from this. Perhaps the school administrators are not aware of it…,” the official added.
V. Pradeep Kumar, an education expert, said: “The fault lies with the local authorities, maybe (those) at the panchayat level. Several schemes are launched by the government to help village schools, such as the mid-day meal scheme, but we keep hearing that these don’t reach the beneficiaries.”
Poor accessibility of villages is a reason for the lack of facilities, he said. “As villages are not connected properly to towns in north Karnataka, it is difficult for them to bring resources like equipment and books to village schools.”
“Under Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), corporations are expected to contribute to the welfare of society. Education is an important field where companies contribute the most as part of their social responsibility. We assist village schools to reach out to the companies who are willing to contribute to the infrastructure by providing books and equipment. Several village schools have benefited from this. Perhaps the school administrators are not aware of it…,” the official added.
V. Pradeep Kumar, an education expert, said: “The fault lies with the local authorities, maybe (those) at the panchayat level. Several schemes are launched by the government to help village schools, such as the mid-day meal scheme, but we keep hearing that these don’t reach the beneficiaries.”
Poor accessibility of villages is a reason for the lack of facilities, he said. “As villages are not connected properly to towns in north Karnataka, it is difficult for them to bring resources like equipment and books to village schools.”
According to a report in the Financial Express, rural India has poor access to quality education. The reasons for this include poor school infrastructure, poor access to toilets and sanitation facilities, and teacher absenteeism despite the passage of the RTE Act since more than a decade ago.
The RTE Act provides children the right to free compulsory education till completion of elementary education in a neighbourhood school. It lays down norms and standards relating to Pupil: Teacher Ratios (PTRs), building and infrastructure, school working days and teacher-working hours.
