More effective planning of school education needed'

MUMBAI: Experts have called for immediate overhaul of the school education in the state and the city. The survey results have been poor over the years and still the government has not taken any significant measures so far, they feel.

In the previous five years, the Maharashtra government has spent between 17 to 19 per cent of the state budget on education. As per the Maharashtra State Lear-ning report by the National Achievement Survey 2017, conducted in the 36 districts on class three, five and eight students, the average students in urban centres perform worse than the rural areas. The average performance percentage in Mumbai suburban areas, was 61 for class 3 and 46 class 5 students while 36 for class eight.

As far as the urban centres are concerned, in Mumbai, there are both government and government-aided schools apart from the civic schools run by Asia’s richest corporation, Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation.

Sainath Durge, member of the BMC education committee said, “It is absolutely not acceptable that our city is lacking in terms of education.” Mr Durge blames the BMC education dep-artment for not being efficient. He added, “This state of education clearly shows how the ‘teaching’ part is not up to the mark. They should plan things more effectively and monitor every element to keep a check on how it is being implemented.”

Rajalakshmi Shivba-lan, a teacher who teaches in city civic schools and Zilla Parishad schools said, “Thou-gh the government or the civic body claim to provide provisions to ‘impr-ove the quality of education’, barely anything reaches the students.