Nagaland in a ‘learning crisis’

Poor performance in various education parameters 

Our Correspondent
Kohima | October 12

Nagaland’s School Education Advisor KT Sukhalu today said that education in Nagaland at present faces numerous challenges and is yet to function optimally.

“Public school education in Nagaland consists of about 2,000 government schools catering to around 1,50,000 students,” he said at the State Level Orientation and Sensitization on Nagaland Education Project: Lighthouse- Nagaland Enhancing Classroom Teaching and Resources (NECTAR) here at Hotel Vivor.

Even before the COVID- 19 pandemic, the state was in a ‘learning crisis,’ with low enrolment and low learning outcomes at all levels, large inter-district disparity in achievements, and low service delivery capability at the state and sub-state levels, he said.

As per the Government of India’s Unified District Information System for Education (UDISE) 2016-17 data for elementary schooling, Nagaland is among the bottom five states in India for its Net Enrolment Rate (NER) (75.63% vs 85.89% for India), retention rate (45.5% vs 70.6% for India), and rates of transition from elementary to secondary education (79% vs 88.5% for India).
 
2nd highest dropout rates at primary & upper-primary levels

Nagaland has the second highest dropout rates at primary and upper-primary levels (20.9% and 18.2% respectively) as per UDISE 2016-17, the Advisor said. 

The situation further deteriorates at the secondary and higher secondary stages. At the secondary level, Nagaland ranks second from the bottom among state in India on NER (34.03% Vs 51.77% for India) and third from in bottom in retention rate (30.9% vs 55.5% for India).  At the higher secondary level, the NER drops to an abysmal 19.62% compared to 30.95% for India (UDISE: 2016-17), he said.

The National Achievement Survey (NAS) 10 data on student learning outcomes for Grades 3, 5, 8, and 10, and the Nagaland Board of School Education (NBSE) Examinations data for Grades 10 and 12 reveal generally low levels of learning among government school students in the state, particularly in the areas of math and science, with large inter-district variations, Sukhalu said.
 
Nagaland performs poorly on ASER test

Sukhalu lamented that the state also performs poorly on the Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) test of basic reading and arithmetic skills, indicating a lack of foundational learning and persistent learning gaps.

Poor enrolment, retention, and transition, and high dropout rates are due, in part, to a limited number of composite schools (covering pre-primary to higher secondary grades) with affordable student housing; poorly equipped schools (including a widespread lack of libraries, science labs, and equipment); the lack of systematic efforts to map and attract out-of-school children; and parental concerns about the quality of teaching (especially in government schools).

Additionally, many government schools are in rural areas where students are more likely to be first-generation learners with limited home support for learning.
 
Over 2 lac students in 717 private schools 

He said that private schools in Nagaland constitute a significant and growing share of the education system, with 717 private schools enrolling about 2,20,000 students. 

Pass rates on the NBSE examinations (Grades 10 and 12) are significantly better for students in private as opposed to government schools.  It becomes pertinent to locate the relevance of NEP- The Lighthouse NECTAR against this backdrop of challenging conditions facing the education system of Nagaland, Sukhalu stated.
 
Rs 1400 crore spent on govt teachers’ salary annually

Earlier, in the opening remarks, Kevileno Angami, Special Secretary for School Education and vice chairperson, Project Steering Committee, NEP-The Lighthouse (NECTAR) said that Nagaland is spending Rs 1400 crore annually on salaries of government teachers in the state.

There are about 19, 079 government teachers in the state.

She stressed on the need to put a collective effort to nurture children who will in return, be able to lead the state and contribute to the state.

The way forward

According to pre-pandemic estimates, Sukhalu said Nagaland was at the bottom of various development indices and rankings. 

“Its index of fiscal self-reliance is far below the national average.  As per data shared by, and consultations held with, the state government, the public school system is also characterized by systemic weaknesses in teaching quality and teacher workforce management, including a lack of reliable data on teachers, especially their classroom presence and performance,” he said.

Sukhalu said that the success of World Bank funded NEP- The Lighthouse (NECTAR) depends predominantly on the collaborative efforts of all the entities and stakeholders that have various roles and responsibilities albeit in varying degrees.

He said that all the entities and the stakeholders in general hold importance for not only the success of the project but for ushering in invigorating changes in our society. 

“A transformation and overhaul in education would mean better quality education and improvement in human capital.  And therefore, this project holds value and promise to transform not only the education system but also impacting the lives beyond the classroom and sowing the seeds of much needed transformation of our society,” Sukhalu said.