Education in Delhi Schools: Rhetoric vs. Reality Delhi-School-Education-Rep-June-2018 | Page 14

Challenges in the Education Systems
The Draft National Education Policy, 2016 finds the following challenges in the
education systems of all levels in India. Obviously, the same holds true for school
education in Delhi.
● Participation in preschool education remains low
● Large numbers of children leave the school before completing elementary
education
● Dropout rates in secondary education continue to be high, especially for
socially and economically disadvantaged groups of learners
● Slow progress in reducing the number of non-literates
● Poor quality of education resulting in unsatisfactory learning outcomes
● Quality-related deficiencies include inappropriate curriculum (syllabus), lack of
trained educators (teachers), and ineffective pedagogy (method of teaching)
● Majority of preschool educators are inadequately trained
● Unsatisfactory level of student learning
● Poor quality of learning at the primary and upper primary stages affects
student learning at the secondary stage
● Poor quality of learning at the secondary stage spills over to the college and
university years, leading to poor learning outcomes in the higher education
sector
Unsatisfactory Quality of School Education
According to the government document, several factors have contributed to
unsatisfactory quality of school education. These are:
● Student and teacher absenteeism
● Serious gaps in teacher motivation and training, resulting in deficiencies
related to teacher quality and performance
● Slow progress in the use of information and communication technologies
(ICTs) in education
● Inadequate attention to monitoring and supervision of performance
● Many private schools lack the required infrastructure, learning environment,
and competent teachers
● The current teacher education and training programmes are inappropriate
● Commercialisation is rampant both in school and higher education sectors as
reflected in the charges levied for admissions in private educational
institutions
● The proliferation of sub-standard educational institutions has contributed to
the diminished credibility of the education system
Education in Delhi Schools: Rhetoric vs. Reality. Research Report by Rakesh Raman. June 2018. Page 13 of 52