By Matters India Reporter
Patna: A noted economist says Bihar can develop properly only if it makes education a top priority in governance.
“Education is one of the most powerful instruments for development and poverty eradication. It should be made a top priority in governance, if we want development in Bihar,” D M Diwakar told an annual memorial lecture in honor of Father Pedro Arrupe, a former superior general of the Society of Jesus.
Diwakar, a former director A N Sinha Institute of Social Studies in Patna, noted that 32 of Bihar’s 38 districts are below the national average in female literacy. The rest are either closer to or above the national rates.
The latest Census of India held in 2011 showed the national level literacy rate as 80.9 percent for male and 64.6 percent for female.
Diwakar delivered the 13th Arrupe Memorial Lecture on “Emerging Challenges of Education in Bihar” on March 21 at Gandhi Sangrahalaya (Museum) in the capital city of Bihar.
The lecture was organized by Jesuit-run Xavier Institute of Social Research (XISR), a center for research and action, Patna. Arrupe was one of the popular leaders of the Jesuits, who manage several universities, colleges and institutes known by its brand name ‘Xavier’ all over the world.
Diwakar noted that despite many initiatives taken up by the Bihar government school dropout still persists in the eastern Indian state. The initiatives include appointment of teachers, incentives to students in terms of bicycle, dress and stipend, building toilets and providing drinking water facilities.
The latest report suggests that dropout rate in primary level is 25 percent, upper primary 42.2 and secondary, 57.7. “Thus, lower classes had lower dropouts and scale of dropout increased in higher classes. Though a sharp decline was seen in the dropout of girls in primary education, the level of girl education is still very poor compared to other states,” Diwakar he added.
On school dropout case among girls, Bihar registered the steepest decline from 17.6 percent in 2006 to less than 4 per cent in 2016. “This is a remarkable change due to the recent government efforts to improve girls’ education. However, out of school children may be inside school, but there are not enough class rooms to accommodate different grades of children,” the economist noted.
About 9.1 percent schools do not have buildings, 65 percent have no store room, 70.7 percent have single teacher class rooms, 37.6 percent have no ramp, 11 percent schools have no toilets for boys and 10.1 percent no separate girls’ toilet, 6.8 percent have no drinking water facility, 31.1 percent have no kitchen room, and 64.7 percent have no play grounds.
Because of inadequate classrooms and teachers classes are conducted on verandah or in the open, he lamented.
To overcome this, education should become the top priority for all stake holders of development such as government, NGOs, activists and parents, Diwakar added.
The state should give more budgetary allocation to education, he argued. Public expenditure on education has significantly increased in the last decade in Bihar; still there is a long way to go in terms of shortage of teachers and infrastructure. Funds allocated to this sector will hardly be sufficient to sustain even existing financial requirement, he said.
Migration of students from Bihar to other states can be stopped only when corruption-free, sincere and rigorous discipline is ensured by the government, school administration and the teachers, he emphasized.
Presiding over the function, Arun Kamal, a Sahitya Academy Awarded writer in Hindi and a professor of English in Patna College, lamented the poor administration and corruption in education. Sincere efforts at improving school teaching and administration, and conducting of examinations, are lacking.
Knowing the challenges must lead us to take pro-active steps to increase the level of education in Bihar. The greatest gift the parents can give to their children is vidya/gyan (knowledge) which can be obtained through education, Kamal added.
The more than 100 participants comprised well known activists, scholars, representatives of minority institutions and NGOs, and concerned citizens.
Earlier, XISR Director Father Jose Kalapura who welcomed the guests, highlighted Arrupe’s contribution in orienting Jesuit service to the poor, especially founding the worldwide NGO, the Jesuit Refugee Service.