Every time the topic of the Indian education system comes up, discussions often focus on government policies, structural issues, and systemic problems. However, one critical issue rarely gets the attention it deserves: the disengagement and absenteeism of teachers. This issue needs urgent attention as it significantly hampers the development of the education system in India.
Reality Check
With the aim of improving India's education system, Pratham conducts an annual survey called the Annual Status of Education Report (ASER). For their 2018 report, Pratham's staff selected more than 500,000 schoolchildren from nearly 600 districts in rural India. These students were asked to undertake tasks measuring their reading and math skills. For example, students from grades 1 to 8 were asked to read a paragraph for reading skills, and for math, they were asked to perform subtraction tasks.
The findings of Pratham's survey are shocking. Nearly 50% of 5th-grade students could not read a 2nd-grade text. In math, only 24.5% of 5th-grade students were able to complete a given subtraction task. This is surprising because the school attendance rate is high, with only 4.4% of children not attending school. This indicates that while children are going to school, they are not learning effectively.
What Does the Report Say?
A 2010 survey by Karthik Muralidharan and others found that in India, 23.6% of teachers were absent from schools, costing the Indian government nearly ₹10,000 crore annually. To address teacher absenteeism, the Delhi government installed CCTV cameras in classrooms.
An analysis by the Azim Premji Foundation found that 18.5% of teachers were absent from duty. Among them, only 2.5% were skipping duty without a valid reason, while 9% were on paid leave and 7% were on official duty, mostly administrative tasks. According to the Right to Education Act, teachers are supposed to teach for 220 days a year. However, a 2015 report found that teachers only taught for 42 days annually, spending nearly 81% of their time on non-teaching activities. A government school teacher from Rajasthan's Dholpur village stated that officials prioritize checking the mid-day meal program over verifying whether classes in subjects like Math or Hindi took place.
The Root Problem:
In rural India, it is common to hear people express a preference for government jobs, particularly teaching positions. When asked why they want to become school teachers, almost all of them cite job security, low stress, and a guaranteed monthly salary. Rarely does anyone say they want to become a teacher because they love teaching.
This mindset is absurd and problematic. It costs the government crores of rupees every year with minimal improvements in educational outcomes. A profession as noble and crucial as teaching has become a means of escape for many, rather than a vocation pursued out of passion.
Anyone who has never visited government schools in rural areas might think this is an exaggeration, but spending even a week in these schools would reveal the dire condition of the classrooms.
Conclusion
We often blame the government, the system, and the students for the problems in education, but rarely do we address the role of teachers. While government systems are indeed at fault, it does not absolve teachers of their responsibility. To any government teacher reading this, I am not sorry. It is what it is. I highly respect those teachers who carry out their duties with love and passion, but they are a rare find.
Improving the Indian education system requires addressing the issue of teacher engagement and motivation. Only then can we hope to see meaningful improvements in educational outcomes.