© 2018 IJRAR January 2019, Volume 06, Issue 1 www.ijrar.

org (E-ISSN 2348-1269, P- ISSN 2349-5138)

THE INVISIBLE CHALLENGES IN

PRIMARY EDUCATION: BENGALURU
SCHOOLS
1
Shrivalli, T.S., 2Vanita Malewar
1
Educational Consultant and Founder of Thesis Guidance,, 2Educational Consultant
Hyderabad, India

Abstract: Primary education is a basic right of every child as it lays a strong foundation in various disciplines that are
essential, and acts as a foundation of modern society in a democratic country like India. Primary education is very crucial,
and every child faces lot of challenges before s/he completes full course consisting of various disciplines that are necessary.
In order to lead a normal life in this contemporary society a child from the beginning is prepared to compete, and to rise
above these challenges. There are many generic challenges and concerns that most children overcome. But, when children
are in a wrong setup, they face challenges that most of us are not aware. This paper details those invisible challenges and
concerns noticed in few private schools in Bengaluru North.
KEYWORDS: PRIMARY EDUCATION, VISIBLE CHALLENGES, INVISIBLE CHALLENGES, NATIONAL KNOWLEDGE
COMMISSION(NKC).

I INTRODUCTION:

The nation's vitality depends upon well-educated citizens. There is a legitimate public purpose in educating young people to
be good citizens. The true aim of education should be to produce people with cultivated minds. Education gives power to a person
to accomplish something in the future. Achievement may be calculated in terms of financial growth and respect at work. It is the
duty of the educationists to support the actual facts of life by connecting classroom lectures with real-life experiences. The current
education system should include individual development, good and ethical schooling. The instruction should be ahead of the
religion, region and language. Hence, the answer for all our national problems: the answer for the problems of the world: comes to
a single word ‘education’. Coming to primary education, it is considered as the foremost right of every child as it enables every
child to learn to read, write, understand a concept, acquire simple arithmetic skills. Providing primary education to a child is a
responsibility of every parent,as primary education opens avenues for opportunities, advancements and improvements. The
National Knowledge Commission (2007) has been emphasizing on ‘quality primary education’ for making India as a knowledge
society in the world. The quality of education mainly depends upon physical infrastructure, qualified and competent teachers,
curriculum and instructional materials, support materials and equipments, teaching learning strategies, comprehensive and
continuous evaluation and effective management[1].

PRIMARY EDUCATION IN INDIA

As a first step in creation of welfare for the present society, universal primary education is an absolute pre-requisite for
sustainable progress and development. The government should ensure quality education for the students as future of our country
depends upon the students of today. Accordingly, all nations prioritized universal access to education. The developed and
developing countries have attained universal or near universal access to primary education. Primary education for a child begins
around the age of five or six years and ends around ten years when the child completes fifth grade. Every child either girl or boy
should be able to complete full course of primary education consisting of various disciplines essential, that may include: simple
calculations, forming words and sentences, understanding of general ethics, norms and standards of environment around the child,
basic etiquette etc. For these, children are prepared from early childhood in order to compete with the surrounding world
otherwise we will end-up having educated students holding degrees who are unemployed as they lack basic life skills to work.
Most children in India already have some understanding of a pre-school or nursery setting. The children in almost all play schools
are taught through play-way method, audio-visual tools, role plays, story method and so on, that are interesting and fun ways to
learn. Once this phase is completed, children enter into primary education with bigger challenges.

COMMON VISIBLE CHALLENGES IN PRIMARY EDUCATION:

[1] Adjusting to the new environment in the school, leaving home and getting familiar with many people
[2] Being independent and to manage several issues on their own
[3] Long school hours, more than the hours that they generally spent in nursery / pre-primary stage
[4] Understand the functioning of the school, the school hierarchy, timetable, various disciplines, different teachers for each
subject area
[5] Performing tasks individually and in groups, acquiring new skills
[6] Learning etiquette, values, sharing, caring etc.
[7] Meeting different age groups of people both children and adults, ways to behave
[8] Demand for obedience from school personnel, managing anxieties, understanding formal structure
[9] Competitiveness, new experiences and unfamiliar tasks
These are some of the most common visible challenges that most of us know from the teaching fraternity. A lot of research
went in this direction and continues to go on to triumph over these above challenges. In an article written by Devershi Mishra,
2016, “What Is Wrong With Primary Education In India?” the author states that, if we rely on the claims made by mouthpieces of

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state and central government, then Indian education system will soon realize the hitherto unrealized dream of achieving cent
percent literacy[2]. Unfortunately, the reality is in stark contrast to these claims. It is a sign of deep decay in the system that
governments not only ignore the educational sector’s importance but also viciously fudge data to paint a pretty picture when the
picture is anything but pretty. The importance of primary schooling with respect to the overall development of a child, and their
careers in future cannot be understated. In fact it would not be wrong to say that the quality and quantity of primary education that
a child receives plays an important role in determining his future standard of living.”

The dream of our country being a superpower in the near future cannot be achieved without revamping our dysfunctional
education system. The importance of quality primary education cannot be underestimated as it prepares the ground for social-
economic and political development of the country. According to Benjamin Disraeli, “Upon the education of the people of
country the fate of this country depends.” Athawar(2015) have cited some of the major problems and remedies on the Primary
Education in Buldana, Maharashtra. Some of the problems regarding Primary Education which were highlighted was large class
size, new teaching methods to be adopted and Improvements focusing in learning centric rather than exam centric[3]. There are
many more challenges that children go through when they are in a wrong setup. One of the investigator, who is also a parent came
across these shocking facts in these modern times, that too in a IT capital of India, and went to delve further in order to bring
astonishing facts to light.

For this purpose, the investigators have chosen few renowned private high schools in Bengaluru North having full-fledged
infrastructure, resources and good number of years of schooling experience. The investigators have interacted with several
primary school children personally from these schools. These interactions were carried out for 2 years in an informal way. The
interactions were not just confined to students but even lengthy personal discussions in this context with parents were carried out
to arrive at the jolting facts and concerns listed below under the following heads:

INVISIBLE CHALLENGES IN PRIMARY EDUCATION:

 Teaching and learning challenges

o Hiring unqualified, untrained faculty (who lack even basic knowledge, skills, and competencies) by higher-ups
to save on monetary aspects, unable to meet the requirements of the students and their frustration is further
expressed on the innocent kids by abuse and assault.
o Introduction and usage of wrong text books for the given grade of students, violating education board norms
o Improper teaching methods and teachers’ arrogance targeting students.
o Private partners with schools (Eg. XSEED Education / curriculum and training-based learning solution) are
dictating terms of teaching and learning in the name of scientific approach and regular assignments
o Unqualified teachers and managements bending to those private partners as they have no clue of teaching
methods and standards.
o Classwork, homework and worksheets are not corrected and students continue to make the same mistakes
repeatedly
 Children distress
o Wrong comparisons and expectations
o Not allowed to go to washrooms even during cold winters and rainy monsoons
o Not allowed to eat Tiffin boxes even during the permitted breaks on the name of authority of teachers
o Nightmares and jolts experienced children due to corporal punishment and emotional blackmails
o Scared to express problems to parents due to the fear induced by the school authorities.
o Students are asked not to disclose their problems to parents by the teachers.
o They are harassed if they report anything against the teacher.
o Bullying unnoticed by teachers and principal.
o Most of the time, the bag is so heavy that it hurts the tiny backs of the little ones to carry the donkey loads of
books as they over look timetable
 Parents unease
o For any concern/ query related to child and school, the parents are not allowed to meet the concerned school
authority immediately. Parent is supposed to take an scheduled appointment to meet the authority and convey
the concern. This is one more high level drama to resolve issues. Most of the time, minor concerns are answered
but major ones are forgotten by the school authorities
o If a problem is addressed in PTMs, it is barely taken up, unless it is an emergency.
o The parents have any problem regarding their child’s academic areas, they are not allowed to meet the school
authority as they don’t permit to meet at any other time other than PTM Meetings.
o If any area of doubt or concern is there, they are not allowed to see the CCTV footage of the school.
o Any issue addressed in the student dairy is habitually not reverted back by the teacher/ Principal. Most of the
times the teacher do not even acknowledge the issue, parent should forget the thought that it will be resolved.
o Parents who are not so well educated are humiliated and looked down by the principal, management and
teachers.
o Parents are not allowed to report in the diary if any concern regarding the child’s performance is bothering them.
o Parents dreadful fear that they child will be abused by the teacher if reported against her to the principal.
o Taken a step forward by any parent to bravely to address concern, then their child is targeted to an extent where
even TC is served in the middle of the academic year, the student is abused physically, mentally, emotionally
and assaulted for a reason not known to the child.
 Assessment system
o Substandard, psychologically unfit assessment tools prepared at the whims and fancies of the teachers and
further same endorsed by the Principal to assess the students
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o Comparisons and grading based on social status of the student overlooking inherent talent and skill
o Partiality based on looks, caste, region, background of the students ignoring their competencies and differences
o Assessment/ answer scripts are not shared regularly with parents on the name of confidentiality in the system
 Managerial disregard
o Managements’ sole motto is just making money through hook or crook. They have tie-up with uniform vendors,
footwear vendors, private education partners and loot common man in the name of so called “quality education”
with appealing advertisements, brochures, catalogues, banners of school etc.
o Principals’ have a say, no teacher or no parent is supposed to suggest any good reforms in interest of the
students.
o Some principals and coordinators are very authoritative, make parents wait for hours to address and resolve
issues and go to an extent of threatening as the students are in their confinement
 Govt. incompetency
o The education boards like ICSE have given free hand to many schools, the board hardly monitors once the
affiliation/ recognition is granted to the school.
o Govt. Block Education Officers of the concerned region work not to evaluate the standards, norms and
functioning of the school, but work in the interest of school managements, and go to an extent to even disregard
even Govt. / court orders quite easily.
o The child rights and child protection body KSCPCR(Karnataka State Commission for Protection of Child
Rights) claim very high in protecting children rights but lack even basic setup. They take up serious grievances
to make mere recommendations on the name of putting burning cream to the wound. These recommendations in
the interest of the child are almost not implemented unless there is a political pressure mounting from the apex
o The toll free number for child protection “1098” assures child safety and rights, the call-centre personnel ask for
quite a lot of questions, even personal questions, rarely provide any way out, and finally direct to the KSCPCR.
The child rights and protecting body by and large works only with political endorsements and wishes and wills
of school management because of corruption from the top level to the ground. The chairperson is by no means
accessible for further communication once the orders are passed as mere recommendations. Implementation of
orders to protect child rights may be called as a false statement.
o Not to over look the local police, the police seldom come to rescue of common man. Most of the times, they do
not investigate the cases properly, work like any other govt. body with political endorsements. In reality they act
as local goondas, harass children, parents by taking lump sums from the managements. They go to any extent to
protect management.

THE WAY FORWARD:

Considering the above challenges, a question arises as to what kind of future generation are we producing? Who are to be held
responsible for these challenges/concerns?
1 Children who are unable to express problems
2 Parents who are scared to come forward as child is in the school captivity or parents who are busy making their careers
neglecting children concerns
3 Teachers who are unqualified, untrained
4 Principal who works only to appease the management and generate revenue forgetting humanity and ethics
5 Private education partners who are generating revenue through colourful books and unjust curriculum standards
6 Media and social media who bring facts to light only for a day and cool off
7 Politicians tied with school management in this big tax free business on the name of education .
The solutions to these problems are possible only when there is zero political interference or endorsements, utmost transparency
in the system, stringent laws and law enforcement; officials working with dedication and respect for education system and
educators. This seems to be a dream in a country like India with remarkable diversity. Save our children and save our nation.

Conclusion
Primary Education demands immediate attention. It is these visible and the invisible challenges that have to be truly catered
and taken into consideration by the higher authorities. The present study is an insight into the sad truth prevailing in the Primary
Education in the schools as surveyed in Bengaluru North that are being maintained. The unqualified teachers are ruling the
classroom. The management hardened role is to extract money in the name of education. Infact some schools have become the
business centres of education . There has to be a shift in the teaching learning strategies. The problem lies in how education
manifests in the tender minds when problems of students are not taken into consideration. Where the school environment should
nurture and instill moral values, there the children are punished and abused by the teachers. The students have been traumatized
in the school campus. They are sandwiched between faulty policies maintained by the administrators and teachers. The loophole
in the assessment system shows a biased educational standards which being maintained. Hardly are these problems noticed by
the Government Officials who periodically inspect and supervise. Inspite of the laws layed by the Government no stringent action
is taken against them.. The administrators don’t share the curriculum structure and the almanac. There is so much hype and
hypocrisy in the name, fame and building of the School. On the contrary, when seen in the school , there is no transparency in the
standards and the functioning of the school. Parents are forced to see the injustice to their children as at any moment and TC
would be given to them with prior notice. Davis and Yang (2009) highlighted the importance of maintaining ongoing
communication and contact with parents, caregivers and families over the course of the school year[4]. Key reasons include to
make parents aware of what is happening in school regarding the curriculum, to build trust, positive school-home relationship,
collaborative problem solving so that children get the true meaning of education. Through this paper we aim to bring out the true
picture of the realities existing in the schools of Bengaluru North. The same might exist in different parts of the Country.

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REFERENCES:

1. The Government of India.( 2007). National Knowledge Commission-Recommendation on School Education. New
Concept Information Systems Pvt. Ltd.: New Delhi (http://www.knowledgecommission.gov.in)
2. Devershi Mishra(2016, February 14). What is Wrong With Primary Education in India? Retrived from
http://www.thecitizen.in/index.php/NewsDetail/index/8/6837/What-Is-Wrong-With--Primary-Education-In-India dt:10th
May 2017.
3. Davis, C., & Yang, A. (2009, September). Keeping in touch with families all year long. Education Digest: Essential
Reading Condensed for Quick Review, v75 n1 p61-64.
4. Athawar, V.S.(2015). The major problems and remedies on Primary Education system in India.Scholars Impact.
Quaterly Research Journal. Vol-I, Issue-3, p 1-4.

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