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New education reform plan by Delhi govt to focus on ‘weakest’ students
Talking about the new education reform plan, Education minister Manish Sisodia said that through performance mapping the weakest students will be identified and then provided remedial assistance. This move is to arrest the high failure rate at class IX.
The Delhi government is well aware of the figures pertaining to increasing student drop-out rates at various levels in school. To remedy this, the government announced a new education reform plan seeking to arrest the drop-out rate of students and improve education quality with special focus on the weakest students.
"It's a comprehensive plan to improve quality and stop dropouts if students fail at the Class IX level in government schools," Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said.
Under 'Chunauti 2018', students will be mapped on the basis of their performance and the weakest students will be given "special focus" to enhance learning levels from Class VI to IX.
The motive behind providing special assistance to the weak students from class IX is to ensure that they pass class X by 2018, a move aimed at 'leaving no child behind' in its schools.
Sisodia said, "No-detention policy is not the entire solution to improve quality education. Passing percentage of Class IX is decreasing every year.”
Citing the increasing number of students who failed to clear class IX, he said, "In 2013-14, 44% of students of Class IX failed to pass while 48.26% of students did not succeed during 2014-15. In 2015-16, 49.22% of students of Class IX failed to pass the examinations. We will have to first focus on improving quality education under 'Chunauti 2018'."
Sisodia said though Delhi government has already proposed amendments in Right to Education Act and the proposed bill is pending with the Centre, the city government can take some steps on its own to improve the quality of education in its schools.
"There are students who are intelligent but there are also who are weak in writing, reading and others. Under 'Chunauti 2018', we will map these students and divide them into different groups. Thereafter, government will work on improving their skills.
"Due to 'No detention policy', students easily pass till class VIII but when they come to class IX, most of them fail to pass the exams," he said, adding, if required, the government will hire guest teachers for them. Principals will be given a "free-hand" to hire teachers as per school's requirement.
Sisodia also shared that extra study material has been prepared by a group of teachers and principals specially to enhance skills of the weakest wards, and teachers incentives are connected with the performance of their students under the proposed plan.